A Warrior, An Archer and a Fox: Rewritten
by Danasca
Summary: The rewrite of my first fanfic! Naruto, what if he had family in the form of twin brothers? What if these twins held a secret, one they didn't know of? Find out by reading. NaruxHina, OCxFemHaku, OCxSaku
1. Chapter 1

**A Warrior, An archer and a Fox: Rewritten**

"Regular speech"

'_Regular thought'_

"**Demon/ Summons/ Inner Speaking"**

'_**Demon/Summons thinking'**_

**A/N: It's back sucka! Here's the rewrite folks and folkettes, with your favorite characters still in play! Don't worry, I'm just writing this to make it more… believable? Yeah that's the word! Anyway, have fun reading!**

Thunder boomed and lightning flashed across the sky while rain drenched all those under the black clouds of this midnight storm. A village happened to be under these clouds, and this was a very well known village. The village's name was Konoha or the village hidden in the leaves and it was home to the shinobi and kunoichi of Hi no Kuni, otherwise known as the Land of Fire.

While the village was quite large and filled to the brim with powerful shinobi, the people of this village had been crippled, crippled quite severely actually. You see, not more than five years ago a force of such incredible power that it was classified as a natural disaster attacked this village.

A creature known as a bijuu attacked it, or tailed beast, and this bijuu happened to be the strongest out of the nine that inhabited this world.

The Kyuubi no Yoko, the nine tailed demon fox. It's power is said to be able to crush mountains and create tsunamis all with a single swipe of one of it's nine large tails. A creature composed of living chakra, malevolence and bloodlust; the Kyuubi destroyed a good portion of Konoha and killed a great number of both civilians and ninja before salvation finally arrived.

Standing atop a toad of monstrous size, a blonde haired man in a white coat with flame designs along the bottom of it stood firm and tall. He was known as the Yondaime Hokage.

Using a jutsu that summoned the death god himself, the fourth fire shadow was able to defeat the demon fox, but it came at a heavy price. He lost his life using the jutsu, forcing the third hokage out of retirement to once again take up the mantle. Today, people tell the story of how the Yondaime killed the beast but that is a lie.

A bijuu cannot be killed. They can only be sealed within either objects or a person. Unfortunately, there is no container powerful enough to hold a creature such as the Kyuubi no Yoko, so it had to be sealed inside of a person. However it could not be any person, it had to be a baby just recently born. As fate would have it, a babe had been born that day. A boy named Naruto to be exact.

Naruto Uzumaki was used to seal the demon away and he has suffered because of it. Ever since the Sandaime revealed that the great fox was sealed, the child has known little else outside of solitude, hatred, and abuse. Because of this, the third Hokage made it law that none of the younger generation were to learn the truth of what happened that night on the tenth of October. Those who broke the law were executed. Alas, the children still learned to be wary and ostracize the young Uzumaki, just because the adults held him in such disdain.

Today, on this stormy night, we find a five-year-old Naruto Uzumaki sitting on the porch of the local orphanage, a sour look on his face as he waits for someone to come open the door and let him in.

"Stupid old lady and here stupid rules," muttered the blonde spiky haired boy. Turning his head slightly, the boy glared holes into the door, wishing that somehow his blue eyed gaze would cause the door to explode or something. Growling the boy got up and decided that he had waited long enough. Being too small to reach the doorknob, he settled for the next best thing.

"OI! Someone open up this god damned door already!" shouted the young voice of Naruto as his tanned fist smashed against the door. For awhile, that's all he did, yelling for someone to open the door and smashing his tiny fist against the door. Of course, no one heard him what with the thunder and rain and anyone who did hear just didn't care. This wasn't the first time Naruto was locked out of the orphanage, not by a long shot.

"Alright! Alright! I'll open the damn door just stop already!" yelled a voice. Naruto stopped pounding his fist on the door in surprise. Someone was actually going to open the door?

He waited and with a click he heard the door being unlocked, which was followed by the slow creak of it swinging open. Mumbling curses under his breath, a five year old boy walked outside, one hand rubbing at his eye while the other hung at his side.

Naruto stared at the boy in front of him, confused as to who this person was. While Naruto may not be the smartest, he never forgot a face and this kid was new. He had brown hair and a lightly tanned complexion along with red eyes. Naruto blinked at that. Red eyes? Sure he'd seen bloodshot eyes but eyes with a naturally red iris?

"Well, you gonna come in or should I shut the door?" asked the boy gruffly, obviously annoyed at being roused from his sleep. All the kid seemed to be wearing was an oversized black T-shirt and some loose grey shorts. Not unlike what Naruto was wearing, but he had a white shirt with an orange Konoha symbol on the front, olive green shorts and some ragged sandals.

Snorting, Naruto walked into the building, stood to the side and gave the other boy a look that said "Happy?"

The brown haired boy just snorted and slammed the door closed, uncaring that it was practically midnight. For a while the two stared at each other before the red eyed boy asked, "So any particular reason you were standing out in the storm like a moron?"

"I'm not a moron you red eyed jerk!" Naruto shot back at his fellow orphan. "Besides, not my fault the old hag keeps locking me out," he growled.

The red eyed boy cocked an eyebrow and smirked slightly at that, "Sounds to me that you wouldn't get locked out if you weren't such a brat," he jeered.

Naruto glared at the other boy, "At least I don't go around being an ass to everyone!" he shot back.

"What did you call me? You trying to start something runt?" snarled the red haired kid.

"You heard me, you ugly ape!" Naruto said, getting on his tiptoes to get in the other child's face.

"I didn't quite hear that pipsqueak, how about you get a step ladder and say it to my face!" red eyes snarled, his face mere centimeters from Naruto's own.

"I am saying it to your face you moron! Are you deaf or just too stupid to understand?" Naruto barked.

"Midget!"

"Idiot!"

"Piss haired gnome!"

"Slack jawed bastard!"

Before the two could bicker anymore, a force suddenly slammed their heads into each other, causing both boys to cry out in pain and fall to the floor clutching their throbbing noggins.

"Both of you shut up, it's late and people are trying to sleep," said a calm male voice. Looking up, Naruto beheld an almost exact duplicate of the red haired boy except this boy had grey eyes.

"It wasn't my fault! This idiot got locked out and when I open the door he starts shooting his mouth off at me!" the red-eyed boy stated while pointing a finger at Naruto. Before Naruto could protest, the grey haired boy sighed and flicked his clone's nose.

"Doesn't matter Doku," responded the boy, "It's late and I'd rather not get in trouble with the matron because of you're bickering," he said while helping the newly named Doku off the floor. After pulling him up, the grey haired boy turned to Naruto and said, "My name is Yoku Tsuuro and this is my twin brother Doku," stated Yoku while gesturing to his brother who just gave a grunt of acknowledgement. "Whats your name?"

Naruto stared at the grey eyed boy, then smirked before saying, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo!"

Yoku smiled lightly at that before he heard the stomping of feet coming in their direction. "Who is making all that racket?" said a nasally and nasty voice. All three boys' eyes widened at that, but before they could run, the person had already stomped down the stairs and was now glaring at the three boys.

"Holy shit! Monster!" screamed Doku in fear, a finger pointing at the woman in front of him. Of course he didn't know that due to the lady having a strange white mask covering her face that seemed to be made out of some kind of cream or mud. While this is scary, if you add the dozen curlers in her grey streaked brown hair, her sharp hooked nose and beady black eyes plus she was wearing nothing but a brown wool bathrobe… you had a pretty terrifying visage.

She glared at the trio and through her sleepy eyes was able to pick out the three whisker marks on each cheek of the blonde blobs face. She narrowed them, "Who let _that_ back in here she demanded?"

Doku frowned at that. "What do you mean that?" he asked confused, completely oblivious to the way Naruto bowed his head and clenched his fists. His brother on the other hand, did see it.

"I mean who let that piece of filth back in here? The creature knows that it's either here before sunset or it sleeps outside!" the matron snarled while pointing a crooked finger at Naruto.

Yoku frowned slightly and noticed that Naruto's fists were now shaking with restrained anger. Yoku turned to the matron and said, "But why lock him out? Has he really done something so heinous as to incur such a punishment?" asked the boy.

The matron merely growled and said, "Yes, but it is none of your business child and you'd do well to stay away from this thing,"

"The only thing we need to stay away from is your ugly mug, ya old bat!" Doku exclaimed, now thoroughly annoyed.

Then quick as an instant, all three boys found themselves deposited outside in the pouring rain. "And don't come back until you've gotten rid of that thing and learned some manners!" shouted the matron before slamming her door shut.

Doku snarled at that before yelling, "Oh yeah! You're orphanage smells like cat piss, the food tastes worse than the smell and no amount of makeup is going to get rid of the wrinkles you kijo(1)!" with that, the boy flipped off the building and stuck his tongue out at it.

Yoku whacked his brother upside the head and sighed. "Way to go bro, now we have to find a dry place to sleep or get sick and die in the streets due to hypothermia," he drawled.

Naruto sighed and got up, "Come on you guys, there should be a spot we can stay at for a bit," he said. Immediately Doku was in his face.

"And why in hell's name would we go anywhere with you? You're the reason we're out here in the first place!"

Naruto growled at that, "I'm not the one who insulted her and made her throw us out, dattebayo!" before the two could continue, Yoku grabbed them both by their ears and pulled.

"If neither of you stop, we will die," he said coolly, "So both of you, cease your incessant bickering, and let's be on our way," with that he glared at each of them, one that said 'I'll gut you if you say a single word'. Gulping, both boys nodded and were released.

Rubbing his ear, Naruto thought of where he could find a place that would shelter all three boys._ 'Maybe the Ichiraku's will take us in for the night? No! It's way too late and I don't even know where they live!'_ thought the blonde. Wracking his brain, the boy tried to think of someplace but all the areas he could think of were either too far away or too small.

"**Go to the Hokage Tower,"**

The blonde jumped at that and quickly looked around, a little spooked. "Did you guys hear that?" he asked the Tsuuro twins. Both boys looked at him.

"Hear what?" Doku asked, covering his head with a newspaper he had found.

"A voice, I could of sworn I heard someone say something," Naruto replied.

Yoku stared at him curiously before saying; "I don't hear anything besides the thunder and rain,"

"Uh, never mind, must have just been the wind" Naruto dismissed with a sheepish grin. Doku just grunted and turned away, going back to waiting for someone to come up with an idea to get out of the rain. Yoku stared at him a bit longer before nodding and turning away. _What the hell was that? Gah! I must be going mad, the storm is starting to mess with my head,' _Naruto thought.

"**Go to the hokage tower,"**

There it was again! That voice but, it didn't sound like it came out of a regular human voice. No, it sounded like it was in his head!

Was he going crazy? _'No! No way that's just stupid!'_ he mentally denied, but hwy else would he hear voices in his head?

The clap of thunder and boom of lightning stopped any further contemplation on Naruto's part. _'Even if I'm crazy, the tower's better than here and Jiji might be able help'_ decided the boy. "Hey you guys!" he shouted, getting the attention of his companions.

"What do you want? Can't we die in peace?" Doku ranted. Yoku merely flicked his head and asked, "What is it Uzumaki-san?"

Naruto grinned and said, "Let's go visit jiji!"

The twins stared at him strangely for a moment then…

"Who's jiji?" Doku asked.

**Hokage Tower**

Near the mountain with the faces of the past hokage etched into it, there is a tower that sits just below and in front of it. This tower is a squat and well fortified building with a large red circle sign on the front that has the kanji for fire written in black ink on it. Now, inside this tower, the most powerful ninja in the hidden leaf village could be found. While he does not often enter the field much these days, the Sandaime Hokage is still the Kami no Shinobi(2) or his simple moniker, "The Professor", both given to him for his mastery of ninjutsu and intelligence. However, that man is not as grand as he once was.

Slowly wandering the corridors of the tower, a figure in white robes with red trim can be found. His face is covered in shadow due to a white hat with three points and the kanji for fire etched onto the point that curves over the face. These are the robes of the hokage, and the figure wearing them is named Hiruzen of the Sarutobi clan or Hiruzen Sarutobi.

As he walked the halls and staircases that would inevitably lead to his office, Hiruzen reflects over the last five years of his life, or rather, he ponders over his decisions he made in regards to not one orphan child, but THREE orphan children.

'_How is it that three boys can have such burdens? The next generation will definitely be interesting'_ thought the old man. _'It's interesting enough having the nine tailed jinchuuriki being the village outcast, but to have that and twin boys found in-'_ unfortunately the old man was cut off when something nearly crashed into him as he opened his office door.

"What the hell did you do that for?" shouted a voice that Sarutobi recognized. Looking down, the old man saw that the thing that nearly crashed into him was none other than Naruto Uzumaki. Standing right in front of the door was a smug looking Doku with his arms crossed and his feet in a wide stance.

"It's payback for getting us thrown out of the orphanage in the middle of a thunderstorm," boasted the brown hairedboy.

"That wasn't my fault! You're the one who insulted her, ttebayo!" Naruto shouted indignantly.

"It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't started banging on the door in the first place! I'd still be in my bed, but noooo! I just _had_ to let you in," Doku shot back.

"I didn't ask you to open it! You were the one stupid enough to insult her and get us kicked out, dattebayo!" Naruto stated while walking up and jabbing a finger at Doku.

"Who you calling stupid? You're the baka that got locked out!" responded the other boy while baring his teeth at the blonde.

"I didn't get us thrown out like you, mister Neanderthal!"

"Shut up you dirt eating punk!"

"Thick headed knuckle dragger!"

"Ankle biting moron!"

Before either could continue bickering or start brawling, both of them were slapped upside the head by Yoku, only, the boy had hit them with two books he had been reading that he found on the hokage's bookshelf. "Stop it, you're acting like idiots and in front of the hokage no less," he stated calmly. With that he turned and bowed to the hokage. "Konbanwa(2), Hokage-sama,"

Sarutobi stared at the boys for a bit, shocked and surprised to find them in his office. Quickly shaking his head, he schooled himself and put on a neutral face. "Konbanwa, Yoku-kun, Doku-kun, Naruto-kun," greeted the old man to all three boys. "Now as much as I appreciate you all visiting this old man, can you please explain why you three are here?" he asked pointedly while taking a seat at his worn oaken desk that even now had a stack of paperwork on it. Glancing at it the Sandaime grimaced slightly. _'Good Kami, I hate paperwork'_ thought the old man. Once he was seated he nodded at the boys to explain themselves. Nervously Naruto stepped forward, his small hand coming to scratch one of his whiskered cheeks, "Ya see Jiji, and we were um, kind of kicked out of the orphanage…" he stated.

"And it was his fault," Doku stated dryly before the two could fight again, Yoku slammed a book into their faces.

"Hokage-sama, again forgive their behavior, but what happened was…" and thus, Yoku told the hokage of what had happened tonight, how Naruto had been locked out and how the matron had reacted to Naruto and their defending of said blonde. When the bright young boy finished his tale, old Sarutobi leaned back in his chair and furrowed his brows, his hands clasped in front of him as he pondered. By havit, the hokage put his pipe in his mouth and lit it with a snap of his fingers. Smirking slightly at the awed looks of the three boys in front of him, the old man thought about what to do with the problem at hand.

'_So they were locking him out, but what were Doku and Yoku doing there?'_ thought the old man. "If I may ask, what were you boys doing there?"

Doku answered this time, "The storm shattered the roof over some of the dorms, some of us were sent to the other one until they can fix it,"

Hiruzen nodded at that. _'The orphanages are old, and a storm like this hasn't happened in who knows how long ago'_ thought the man. _'They need a place to stay and I'm not sending them back to the orphanage'_ he thought for a while longer before nodding to himself. "Boys, have you enrolled in the ninja academy?" asked the old man.

"Yeah! I can't be Hokage if I don't go to the academy, dattebayo!" Naruto said enthusiastically.

"Me and Yoku are, why?" asked Doku.

Sarutobi smirked. "Because, I'm getting you boy's an apartment, you'll have to share but it's only until the academy is over. Until then, you'll receive a monthly stipend that covers all living expenses such as food, rent, etc.," Explained the man. All three boys' eyes widened at that before they grinned.

"Sweet! No more old hags and disgusting meals!" Doku exclaimed.

"And an actual bed to sleep in, ttebayo!" Naruto agreed eagerly.

Sarutobi merely smiled before speaking again, "We'll go to your new home tomorrow, for now, why don't you boys make yourselves comfortable and spend the night here?" suggested the old man. He was met with eager nods, and soon enough the boys had claimed spots all over the office. Doku and Yoku had taken the couch while Naruto curled up on one of the Hokage's chairs.

In almost no time at all, the room was filled with the light snore's of children and Sarutobi smiled as he watched their still forms. Slowly his eyelidss started to fall and the hokage mumbled, "I suppose a nap wouln't hurt,"

Soon, the entire room had fallen under the sandman's spell, with only the masked figures of the hidden ANBU standing guard still awake.

Drip…

Drip…

"Stupid leaky roof," mumbled Naruto as he sat up, the sound of sloshing water accompanying his movements. Confused, the blonde blinked and found himself to be sitting in water… in a sewer… that didn't have a ceiling.

"Where the hell am I?" Naruto shouted now standing. The only reply was his echo, bouncing from wall to wall. He sighed, then he noticed something strange.

There were pipes lining the walls, crisscrossing all over the place and stretching endlessly into the corridors. However what was strange was that all these pipes were glowing with a mixture of blue and red energy. Curious, the blonde began following the pipes and soon found himself walking down a corridor that was filled with pipes. He could also feel… something. _'Whatever it is, it's powerful, ttebayo,'_ thought Naruto as he walked closer to the source. As he did, something came into view.

It was a cage, bars thick as the trees around Konoha and they seemed tougher than the most tempered steel. In the center of this cage, Naruto could barely make out a white square of paper, but only just. "Jeez, that's got to be the biggest cage I've ever seen!" Naruto said aloud in amazement. "But why make it so big? There must be something totally awesome behind it!" Naruto decided before rushing towards the cage, he was oblivious to the blood red eyes that emerged from the darkness of the cage.

When he was a few feet from the cage when something set off his danger senses. Immediately he ducked, just barely a set of claws that would have skewered him had it not been for his quick reflexes and the cage. Crawling back, Naruto stared in astonishment at the giant red eyes and great big sharp teeth that now stared at him.

"**Damn! Curse this cage and curse that man! If you had just gotten a little closer I'd be having a snack right now!"** stated the eyes and mouth, which now looked like an outline of a giant long eared fox with a red glow in the back.

Naruto stared a bit more before he retaliated by screaming, "What the hell do you mean snack, you oversized rabbit!" screamed the child, having never seen a fox before.

There was silence for a bit then the giant fox outline started howling in laughter, **"HAHAHAHA! Giant! HAHAHA! Rabbit! BWAHAHAHAHAAAA!" **roared the fox in mirth now rolling in it's cage. When it had finally stopped laughing, the giant got to his feet and chuckled,** "Oh man kid, you've got real guts to be calling me that."**

Naruto just cocked an eyebrow, "And who exactly would you be?" he asked, arms crossed over his chest.

"**Ha! As if you don't know!"** chuckled the beast. When he was met with silence and a blank look from Naruto he asked, **"You… you really don't know who I am?"** Naruto shook his head. **"Well it is a bit dark in here…" **muttered the fox. Nodding in thought, he flooded the cage with his chakra, illuminating a giant red furred fox with nine swishing tails. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and he stood up in awe.

"No way!" shouted the child. The Kyuubi grinned and struck a pose,_** 'Heh, now he knows who he's dealing with! Probably just slipped his mind'**_thought the demon.

"You're the most epic bunny I've ever seen!" Naruto exclaimed causing the fox to fall flat on his face, "I bet you must eat like, a billion carrots a day! Dattebayo!" Naruto said with a grin.

"**I'M NOT A RABBIT YOU STUPID GAKI!"ROAORED THE FOX," **roared the fox angrily.

"Then what are you?" Naruto asked in confusion. "I mean, regular rabbits don't have nine tails… or claws as sharp as yours… or teeth as sharp as yours… come to think of I don't think I've seen a rabbit with red fur either…" Naruto said fox sweatdropped at this. "I've got it!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You're a mutant donkey!" he shouted proudly. This time the Kyuubi stared at him, his eye twitching then,

"**DUMB ASS! I'M NOT A DONKEY OR A RABBIT!"** roared the Kyuubi in rage.

"Then what are you?" asked Naruto

"**I'M THE KYUUBI NO YOKO!"**

**A/N: and thus ends the first chapter of the rewrite! Hope you like it and please review and if you just skipped to the bottom, go back to the top and read!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A Warrior, An archer and a Fox: Rewritten**

"Regular speech"

'_Regular thought'_

"**Demon/ Summons/ Inner Speaking"**

'_**Demon/Summons thinking'**_

**A/N: Hello everyone! It's time for the second chapter and please give it a chance! I know some of you prefer the original but I believe this one will be even better! Anyway, lets get rolling!**

**Oh! And me no own any of Naruto or Naruto related franchises if I did… well the series would be taking a completely different turn and there would be a substantial number of penguins! PENGUINS I SAY!**

Naruto was in heaven. He was currently swimming in a giant bowl of ramen, happily drinking the broth and devouring the noodles with a giant grin. Nothing could ruin this moment. _'This is the best ramen dream ever!'_ thought Naruto as he grinned in his sleep.

Unbeknownst to him, a dark figure was creeping up on the unsuspecting form of the sleeping Uzumaki. As it slowly crept up on the blonde, a wicked grin formed on its face as its red eyes flashed evilly. It was now next to the sleeping blonde and its gnarled hands slowly reached to grab their unsuspecting victim.

The figure grabbed Naruto and shouted, "GOOOOD MORNIIIING NARUTOOOO!" Naruto's eyes snapped open but he could do nothing to stop the figure from launching him from his bed and into the hallway, where the Uzumaki slammed against the wall and slowly slid to the ground.

Hearing the commotion, the head of Yoku poked out into the hall, "Must you really be so loud in the morning?" he asked as Doku walked out of Naruto's room with a satisfied smile.

"Yup!" replied his twin happily. Growling Naruto jumped up and got into Doku's face, "Why the hell do you keep doing that? Every morning for the past year we've lived here you keep throwing me out of my room and into the wall!" yelled the blonde angrily.

Doku frowned, "I wouldn't have to if you'd just get up in the morning ya lazy bastard! Besides, you keep taking my money and spending it on ramen!" he yelled right back.

"I wouldn't do that if you'd stop throwing me in the morning!"

"I'd stop throwing you if you didn't steal my money every day for your ramen obsession!"

"It's compensation for all the injuries I get from being thrown you selfish jerk!"

"Compensation my ass, you fox faced thief!"

"Knuckle dragging bully!"

"Whiskered ankle biter!"

"Mud eating jackass!"

Before the two could continue, Yoku appeared and smacked them both with an iron spatula. "Knock it off guys, we have to get to the academy soon so come on, I made scrambled eggs," he stated while walking back to the kitchen. The two boys pouted, before looking at each other and grinning.

The two boys entered the kitchen to see Yoku setting down three plates of eggs. Immediately, Naruto and Doku rushed to their seats and started eating, a look of utter satisfaction crossing their faces.

"Mmm! Man Yoku, how is it that you can cook this good?" Naruto exclaimed while shoveling another forkful into his mouth.

"Seriously bro, how can you cook this well? Back in the orphanage, you couldn't even toast bread!" Doku stated while shoveling the food down his gullet.

Yoku merely chuckled, "You'd be surprised what a book can teach you," he stated as he calmly ate his breakfast.

"**Who cares, these are delicious"** Kyuubi said to his container, who happily nodded in agreement. The blonde knew a lot about his demon, he knew he was the reason he was hated but…

**Flashback, The night Naruto met Kyuubi**

"What the hell are you talking you mutant donkey?" demanded Naruto, "Everyone knows that the fourth hokage killed the Kyuubi, so there's no way you're him,"

The giant fox was silent for a moment, then, he burst into raucous laughter **"BWAHAHAHAHAH! You! HAHAHA! THINK? AHAHAHA! THAT I WAS KILLED?" **asked the demon between fits of laughter.

Naruto scowled at that, "Of course he was! We celebrate it every year on my birthday, the tenth of October!" here he grew somber _'the same day they all come and beat me'_ he thought bitterly.

The fox snorted, **"Please, I'm a bijuu! We can't be killed, only sealed!"** he stated. **"Your current leader must have wanted to keep my sealing a secret from everyone so they said your fourth killed me,"**

Naruto blinked in confusion and frowned, "If that's true, how did I end up where you're sealed? Last I remember I fell asleep in Jiji's office," Naruto wondered in confusion.

The Kyuubi stared at Naruto like he was an idiot. **"You're kidding me…"** he mumbled_** 'Does he not realize HE'S my container?'**_ thought the fox. Sighing the nine-tailed demon asked, **"Ok kid, have you ever heard the term 'jinchuuriki' before?"**

Naruto shrugged, "No, why is it the name of your prison or something?"

Kyuubi smirked slightly at that. **"You're somewhat right, a jinchuuriki is a bijuu's container, or rather, that's what it's called when we're sealed in a human,"** he explained.

"A human?" asked Naruto, "So you were sealed inside of a human?" he summarized. He frowned then, "Then how am I talking to you?" he wondered aloud.

The Kyuubi sweatdropped at this and sighed, **"Kid, think hard, I'm the strongest Bijuu in existence, if I were sealed in a regular human, I'd rupture their chakra controls and escape, however, a newborn child whose coils were not yet developed, could hold me because their bodies would become accustomed to my youki,"** he explained slowly.

Naruto blinked, then his eyes widened in realization. For a while Naruto just sat there in shock, letting the news sink in. "I-I'm… your container?" he whispered. Then Naruto did something that the Kyuubi never expected him to do.

The fox demon expected him to grow angry and start yelling at him for killing the villagers, or to deny it, hell he would even expect silence and some questions, but he was not prepared for the small boy in front of him to just completely break down into tears. "The loneliness…. The h-hatred… the pain…" sobbed Naruto, "All because I was born at the wrong time, all because of something I had no choice over!" he wailed. He looked up and glared at the fox with utter loathing, tears streaming down his face he screamed, "AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

The Kyuubi was taken aback by the sudden ferocity, "You're the reason my life is miserable! You're the reason everyone hates me!"

"**Kid, I-"** the giant being tried to say, but Naruto cut him off.

"TELL ME WHY! TELL ME WHY DAMMIT!" cried the blonde, "WHY DID YOU ATTACK! TELL ME!" wailed the blonde. He broke into quiet sobs then, he stopped crying when he felt something soft curl around him. Surprised, Naruto looked up into the face of Kyuubi, who had somehow changed the landscape into a meadow of sorts with a full moon in the sky. The fox had also shrunk down to the size of a large dog.

"**Listen to me kid,"** he spoke softly, **"I did not attack this place willingly, true I am a being that has done greatly terrible things, but it was against my will that I attacked your home,"**

"Then who forced you to?" asked the child. He did not understand this feeling of comfort or warmth that he felt when wrapped inside those tails, but he knew he liked it.

"**That I don't know,"** Kyuubi said sadly,** "However, his eyes were those of a man from long ago, they were the eyes of the co-founder of the leaf village,"**

"**Uchiha Madara,"**

The Kyuubi sighed. **"Long ago, that man used his eyes to make me fight the first hokage of your village, however, his powers were able to defeat me, to tame me, as such I was defeated,"** a frown marred his muzzle, **"I did not believe to encounter those eyes ever again, yet I did and, well, you know the rest,"**

The Kyuubi withdrew his tails and backed away from the boy, **"If you don't believe me, that is fine. If you hate me, I can accept that because despite everything, the deaths are still my fault,"** spoke Kyuubi. He bowed his head and for a while there was silence. When the fox heard nothing, he thought maybe the boy had left. He was surprised when he felt something circle his neck and burrow into his fur. He looked to see that Naruto was now hugging him, his face buried in his fur.

"I'm not mad at you," spoke Naruto, "To be mad at someone who had no choice in their deed? That would be to hate myself and everyone like me,"

The boy looked up at Kyuubi and put on a sad smile. "Besides, I don't know how long I'll be alive and you're stuck in me for a while, and I know it's because of you that I'm not dead yet and I thank you for that,"

The Kyuubi was shocked but remained silent as he spoke. "I'd rather not spend it hating each other so…" Naruto stepped back and gave the fox a brilliant smile. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! Will you be my friend?"

The Kyuubi looked surprised before he grinned, **"Name's Kyuubi no Youko, and I'd be happy to be your friend on two conditions,"** he said with a foxy smile.

Naruto blinked and asked, "What conditions?"

"**One, you allow me to experience everything you do, and two, you let me teach you some things,"** Kyuubi stated.

Naruto nodded and the two shook on it, Naruto with his hand, and Kyuubi with his paw.

**Flashback End**

"Come on guys, no need to be late on the first day!" Naruto called to his roommates as he raced down the streets.

"Oi! Wait up damn it!" Doku shouted making faces at the glaring villagers as he went. A year of living with Naruto caused resentment towards the Tsuuro brothers from the villagers, but Sarutobi had made it expressly clear.

Mess with any three of those boys, and you will WISH Ibiki had gotten a hold of you. As exampled by a certain publicly punished matron, people knew it wasn't bullshit.

Didn't stop them from hating of course, haters gonna hate.

It wasn't long before the group of boys reached the academy, Naruto bouncing on his feet in excitement. "Come on, come on! We've got to get to class!" Naruto urged. Doku shrugged while Yoku was breathing a little heavily.

"A minute, Naruto-san, my heart has yet to return to it's regular rhythm," Yoku stated.

"Bah, you really need to get out more bro, you're way outta shape," Doku scolded amused. Yoku merely glared at his brother before growling some insult or other under his breath and stomping towards the building. Doku laughed before following after him, Naruto bouncing in excitement behind them.

Once inside, they quickly ran to the secretary's desk. "Yo, scuse us but can you tell us where our class is?" Naruto inquired as they approached the desk.

The woman running it, a rather average one, glanced down at them, but did a double take upon noticing Naruto.

"Demon," she muttered before ignoring him. Naruto frowned and was about to walk away before Doku stopped him by grabbing is arm.

"Please miss, we would like to know the location of our class so we might get there on time," Yoku stated. "If you would kindly tell us, we won't bother you again,"

She glanced at the grey-eyed boy for a moment, but that was it. Sighing, Yoku stepped back. "It appears we're on our own," Yoku told them. Doku growled and stomped up to the woman.

"Hey! Tell us where our class is!" Doku raged at the woman. Getting no reply, he growled at the woman, "Fine! Have it your way you stuck up hag!" Doku insulted.

The woman didn't even bat an eye as the group stomped off. However, as soon as they were out of sight, the woman's chair legs immediately snapped and she was sent tumbling to the ground with a cry.

Naruto smirked at hearing the cry. **"Nice job kit, you're getting the hang of it,"** Kyuubi praised him.

'_Hehehe, no one can catch me'_ Naruto snickered as he hid the small saw in his pocket. _'Being ignored has its advantages'_

"Greaaat, now how will we find our class?" Doku asked in annoyance.

"I suppose we shall just have to enter each room and politely ask each teacher if we're listed on their attendance sheets," Yoku sighed.

"Or we could just check this registry book I stole," Naruto stated, a grin on his face as he brandished a notebook labeled 'register'.

"Eh? When did you swipe that?" Doku asked in surprise.

"When she wasn't looking, dattebayo!" Naruto laughed. Yoku merely smiled while his brother laughed loudly. Doku was simple like that.

Taking the registry, Yoku quickly located their names. "Right, We're in class 101, taught by Iruka Umino, we better hurry though, we're running late," he stated coolly. Setting off, the grey-eyed boy led the way to class, his brother and friend following behind.

It did not take long for them to reach the classroom, but when they did, they could already hear their teacher calling roll. The dilemma that faced them now was who was going to enter the classroom first?

"Soo… Who's going to interrupt the class?" Doku asked.

"You should do it Yoku, he won't get mad if someone as smart and polite as you does it," Naruto persuaded, sending a foxy smile to the grey-eyed boy.

"Nice try kitsune, but only those with limited intelligence and profound narcissism would ever fall for such empty compliments," Yoku replied.

Doku had a blank look on his face then sighed in defeat, "Why can't you speak with words I can actually understand? Seriously, we're six for crying out loud!" he complained.

"Then how about you go Doku?" Naruto asked innocently, "I mean someone as strong, handsome and charismatic as you should have no problems with the teacher, ne?" he said, his words dripping with honey. _'Yoku said it wouldn't work on smart people like him so Doku should fall hook line and sinker'_ Naruto thought.

Doku stared at Naruto with a blank look then smirked, arms folded and eyes closed in a smug pose, "Hn, took ya long enough to figure that out!" he grunted, "Fact is I am awesome, so I'll just open the door and people won't mind because I'm just that kind of man!" stated the boy proudly.

Naruto was chuckling in his throat behind the red eyed boy's back while Yoku merely sighed. _'So stupid'_ was the thought of both boys, each for a different reason though. Naruto stopped snickering when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

'_Aw crap' _thought the fox child.

Meanwhile, inside the classroom, Iruka Umino a tanned brown haired shinobi with a scar across his nose, was going over his list. Apparently, three students had yet to show up yet. "Class," he called, "Does anyone know whe-," he never got to finish because the sudden breaking down of the door and an indignant cry caused a good portion of the students to panic or jump in surprise. Iruka was halfway to his kunai when Naruto popped up from the debris that was the door.

"What the hell was that for?" roared the blonde as Doku walked in with an arrogant smirk on his face while Yoku had an amused smile on his face as he followed behind his twin.

"Well why should someone as awesome as me have to touch such a common door? It makes more sense to throw the moron through it," Doku stated haughtily, earning some chuckles from the class.

"Bull! You just did it because you knew I was lying! There is no way I'd actually say something like that to a dumbass like you!" Naruto accused, now standing up. Immediately Doku was in his face.

"Who you calling a dumbass you lightweight?"

"The guy who needs to get out of my face, that's who! By the way, you need a freaking mint!"

"What? You better shut up before I squish you, cockroach!"

"Cockroach? Then you're an ape! You certainly smell like one!"

THWACK

"ITAI!" exclaimed both Naruto and Doku as they clutched their now throbbing foreheads. Turning they glared at Yoku who merely gave them an amused smirk.

"Wasn't me that time," he stated.

"Then what jerk did?" Doku demanded.

"Yeah, what bastard did it?" Naruto chimed in.

"That would be me," said a scary voice. Immediately both boys rounded on the voice only to stare in fear at Iruka who seemed to be emitting an aura of death and danger. Whatever words Naruto or Doku had wanted to say died in their throats.

"Now if you two are finished acting like morons, how about you take a seat?" Iruka 'suggested' lowly. Immediately, Doku and Naruto were seated in the far back corner, next to a girl wearing a coat and seemingly trying to hide in it.

Yoku chuckled before going up to join his bother and friend while behind him, Iruka just sighed. "Ok, now that the excitement is over, how about we go around the room and introduce ourselves? Just names for now," Iruka stated cheerily before pointing at himself, "I'll go first; my name is Iruka Umino," he introduced himself before pointing at one of the students.

As the assembled students stated their names, Naruto did not listen, as he was instead interested in the words of his tenant.

"**Well kit, we're in the academy, so let's start the teaching process" **the fox stated as he observed the people through Naruto's eyes.

'_Eh? What do you mean?'_ Naruto asked in confusion.

"**I mean, this is where you're training really takes off, I don't trust some of these instructors to teach everything or be fair, so I'll be teaching you for a majority of the time you're here,"**

'_oh…'_ the blonde blinked before frowning, _'But what can you teach me when I'm just sitting here? And how can you teach me how to throw a kunai or a shuriken or even how to mold chakra?'_

The fox was silent for a moment as he thought. _**'That… that I did not think about…' **_ snorting, the fox mumbled under his breath for a moment before nodding, **"Right, this place can teach you how to throw those annoying pieces of metal and once you've learned how to mold chakra, I'll start teaching you some things to do with it,"**

Naruto was about to ask what when he felt something smack him in the face. Sligtly panicked, the blonde tensed and shook his head in each direction before his azure eyes landed on the eraser sitting on the desk in front of him. _'Huh?'_

"Now that we've got your attention, how about introducing yourself?" Iruka asked in annoyance, causing Naruto to look up with an embarrassed smile, seeing as he was one of the last to go besides the Tsuuro twins who merely rolled their eyes at their roommate's antics, fully used to his zoning out periods.

Naruto had done it ever since the night they met, kept zoning in and out of world's, like he was off somewhere else and chatting with someone. The blonde pulling a prank or going out into the woods for whatever reason usually followed it. What the two didn't know was that this was the Kyuubi, training Naruto in the ways of a 'proper kitsune'.

The two still hadn't figured out why Naruto would come back with a dead rabbit or some other small animal sometimes, or not come back at all until sometime tomorrow.

Naruto scratched his head as he stood up and put on a big grin, one that caused his eyes to close to slits and his whisker marks to become more pronounced while his pearly white teeth flashed in the light. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo," he announced.

Iruka merely nodded and pointed at Doku, who appeared bored out of his mind sitting in the desk. He did not like sitting still, just wasn't a quality he was born with. "Doku Tsuuro," the red eyed boy drawled. Iruka twitched slightly, but brushed it off and turned to his twin.

"Yoku Tsuuro," he stated politely with a small, friendly smie. The grey-eyed Tsuuro was more than content with just sitting there; patience was something Yoku had in spades and was more than ready to use.

Iruka nodded at that, "Right then, as you know, you will all be learning how to be a shinobi over the next couple of years in preparation to join the proud protectors of the Village hidden in the Leaves," he declared, "I won't lie, this is going to be a tough couple of years, but I'm positive you'll all pass with flying colors," Iruka assured with a soft smile. The students smiled in response.

After that, the man launched into an explanation of just what exactly they would be learning over the years, but seeing as it was nothing interesting, at least to him, Doku was only half listening and instead let his eyes rove around the classroom. Yoku was listening intently, already becoming hooked on several subjects that he would delve into further when he was back home. Naruto just sat there, eyes glassed over and oblivious to the world as he talked with his demon.

"**Ok gaki, time to scope out our competition. It's a good time to test those skills we've been developing so take a whiff, listen close and tell me what you smell,"** the red fox instructed.

Naruto nodded slightly, his eyes going back into focus as he blinked. Inhaling, he sniffed the air and concentrated on the scents that were closest to him.

From his left he could smell dirt, sweat, ink and paper, the four intermingled with each other along with a hint of ramen.

'_This one's easy, Yoku and Doku are to my left, the smell of dirt and sweat belongs to Doku, and Yoku smells like paper and ink'_ Naruto stated. However he furrowed his brow when he smelt something else, it was light and somewhat hard to find, but he could smell it! It was coming from his right.

Glancing out the corner of his eye, the blonde was surprised to see a person next to him, a bluish black haired girl, with their hair cut short while the bangs parted to frame her porcelain face with pupil less lavender colored eyes. She was wearing a big beige zip up jacket and blue shorts.

Currently she had her eyes glued to the front of the room but her head was bowed and shoulders somewhat tense for some reason._ 'Huh… never seen her before'_ commented the blonde.

"**Doesn't surprise me,"** Kyuubi remarked, **"If I'm correct, she's part of the Hyuuga clan,"**

'_Hyuuga? Who are the Hyuuga?'_ Naruto asked curiously.

"**They're all white eyed and have an ability called Byakugan which allows them to see nearly everything, even through walls, hell, it can even see chakra and chakra pathways,"**

'_So she comes from a clan of people who look blind, but in reality have all seeing eyes?'_ Naruto summarized.

"**Yup, that's them in a nutshell, can't say I know much more than that,"**

Naruto merely nodded and decided to focus on other things, or people in this case. Focusing on a pair of girls, one pink haired and the other a platinum blonde, he took a sniff of the air and focused.

Immediately he was hit with the scent of all sorts of flowers. Roses, daffodils, lilacs, you name it! He even smelt some poisonous plants, but how could two people smell like a veritable flower shop?

"**You're right in saying the both of them reek of flowers, but I'm pretty sure only one of them has the scent of one flower,"** Kyuubi spoke up.

'_Eh? How am I supposed to tell which one only smells like one flower?'_ Naruto demanded.

"**Baka! Think! One of those flowers is different from the others, now think! Where do some of these flowers grow?"** Kyuubi asked.

Naruto paused and thought about that. He smelled many kinds of flowers; roses, camellias, daffodils, sakura blossoms- wait, sakura blossoms? _'Huh… most of these flowers grow on the ground… but sakura blossoms grow in tress! Ne, ne, is that the difference?'_ Naruto asked his tenant in excitement.

"**That's it exactly,"** Kyuubi answered with a smirk. Before Naruto could go on a celebratory rant about how awesome he was, the fox spoke up again,** "Now how about you tell me which one smells like cherries?"**

Naruto froze at that. He could not for the life of him tell which girl smelt of which, they were too far away and too intermingled for his inexperienced nose. The most he'd ever distinguished was rabbit from the other smells of the forest, not plants from plants! _'Better see if I can listen in then'_ muttered the child. Closing his eyes, he zeroed in on what he believed were the voices of the two girls.

"See! I told you Sakura, Sasuke-kun is in our class!"

"Wow! You were right Ino!"

Naruto opened his eyes and shrugged at what he heard, he could only assume that the girl with pink hair was Sakura and the one who smelled like her namesake it made the most sense. Yet, if that were true, why did the girl named after a pig smell like a flower shop? Putting that thought aside for a different day, the blond turned his attention towards the object of the girls' interest. Sasuke if he heard right.

Naruto couldn't really smell him from where he was, but he did smell soot, for some reason. From what he could see, Sasuke wore a blue shirt and white shorts with spiked black hair. His obsidian eyes were focused on the teacher in front of him, everything else didn't matter, especially not the girls all staring at him, well, except for the girl next to Naruto that is.

Sighing, he took another whiff and nearly vomited at the smell. Whoever this person was, they reeked! Literally, this person stank of dog, body odor and meat. His tearing azure eyes searched desperately for the source and found it to be a feral looking boy in a white shirt and tan cargo pants. Under his slitted eyes was a pair of red triangles that looked more like fangs then anything else. Lastly, he had a small white dog on his head.

"**Blech! Dogs! Kit listen to me and listen well, dogs and foxes do not always get along so be cautious around this mutt,"** Kyuubi warned. Naruto merely nodded his head slightly**. **The smell alone was enough for him to keep his distance.

Before he could sniff out any more of his new classmates, the sound of a bell interrupted him. Surprised the blond blinked in confusion and looked around. "All right class," Naruto's neck nearly broke he turned his head so fast to look at his teacher, "We're taking a lunch beak and small recess, when you get back, we'll be having an introduction to some more practical skills," Iruka announced with a smile.

With his piece said, the chuunin vanished in a poof of smoke. The students soon filed outside, each to their own location. Yoku, Doku, and Naruto had seated themselves at the front of the academy sitting against a tree with a small swing hanging from one of its branches.

"Gah, I'm starving!" Doku whined as he sat against the tree's trunk. Naruto merely rolled his eyes and shoved a handful of berries and nuts into the whining boy's lap. The red eyed boy eyed it for a moment before sighing and shoving a handful into his mouth, "Next time we should bring actual food," he mumbled. Yoku merely rolled his eyes and took some of the offered food while Naruto made his own thoughts heard, "There's nothing wrong with this stuff! It's more healthy than other stuff,"

"Like your ramen?"

Naruto gave Doku a glare at that, "Watch your tongue when you speak of the most holy noodles!" he snapped.

"That crap is junk food! There ain't nothing holy about it!" Doku proclaimed.

"BLASPHEMY!" Naruto roared as he leapt at the other boy. Doku merely grunted as the blonde impacted on him. Soon the two were scuffling, but they did it with smiles on their faces and with the jeers of any rowdy boys their age.

Yoku merely rolled his eyes as he sat in the branches of the tree, a perch he took as soon as the two had started bickering. However he could not keep the smile from his face as he watched them fight one another. Despite how the two acted towards one another, they were pretty good friends. All three of them were pretty good friends, because it was either get along or go out into the streets, an none of them wanted that, especially not Naruto.

"That still leaves the question of why," Yoku murmured to himself. The wiser Tsuuro had taken very careful note on the way people treated Naruto, being sure to hear what they said, their gestures and so on. So far he came to the conclusion that Naruto was hated because of something. He knew it was connected with a demon because that is what a majority of the people mumbled under their breath whenever they caught sight of Naruto, if they didn't ignore him anyway. He suspected it might have something to do with the demon that attacked the village on the night Naruto was born.

Before he could contemplate further on it, the sounds of screaming… something reached his ears. The sound also caused Naruto and Doku to pause in their wrestling match. Curious, the trio looked in the direction of what it was.

It was the funniest thing any of them had ever seen.

Sasuke Uchiha, a boy they had all deemed cold just from looking at him, was running for his life from a horde of girls. All of them were screaming his name and professing their love to him, but the black haired boy ignored all of it and kept running. He ran by the front of the academy, not even glancing at the three boys who were howling with laughter. He just wanted the girls to stop chasing him! It was bad enough his family was massacred, why did Kami see fit to attack him with fan girls?

Doubling back, the Uchiha tried to shake his unwanted followers but alas, homo fangirlus was a species that did not let their prey escape that easily. Howeer, a gift from th heavens itself descended upon the obsidian eyed boy, for as he passed the tree where the three boys from earlier were seated, every single one of his tormentors tumbled to the ground with surprised and saddened shrieks.

Shocked, Sasuke stared at the fallen girls then looked at the laughing forms of Doku, Yoku and Naruto, the later holding a rope in his hands that had obviously been used to trip the females. Sending them a grateful nod, Sasuke took this chance to run away from his rabid pursuers.

The trio continued to laugh as the girls wailed in dismay at their lost prey, however, they heard the laughter and turned their heads to see the reason why they had been tripped.

Naruto stopped laughing as he felt an ominous feeling envelop him. **"Kit, get in the tree, now,"** Kyuubi ordered in a calm voice as one of the girls slowly rose from the pile, a visible aura of death surrounding her, amplified by the rest of her brood.

Slowly, the blonde raised her hand, her fingers curling into a fist except for her index finger, which stood out straight and commanded the power of fate itself it seemed. Naruto didn't even think twice as he scrambled into the tree, hiding deep within it's boughs along with Yoku. Doku had yet to notice, but he did when he heard two words.

"Get them,"

Immediately the females charged the tree. The red-eyed Tsuuro yelped in fear before scrambling up the tree as well, barely avoiding the harpies. Snapping a branch off, Doku started swinging at the frothing females, keeping them at bay, "Back you harpies, back! You won't be feasting on my flesh tonight! Back I say!" screamed Doku.

"Wow Doku, you literally have to beat the ladies back with a stick," laughed Naruto, whooping as he ducked the next swing directed at him.

'_Dear Kami! Such ferocity, such anger! Is this what all fangirls are capable of? All women?' _wondered Yoku. Seeing the snarling faces of his female class mates Yoku decided it'd be wise not to test that theory… well directly of course, he thought with a glance at Doku and Naruto.

They stayed in the tree until the bell rang, which literally saved the trio from being mauled by the angry girls. Soon, everyone was back in the classroom and Iruka was sitting in the front, but a new person was standing beside him. He wore the same garb as Iruka did, but his skin was pale, his hair was silver and he wore his headband in the style of a bandanna.

"Welcome back everyone!" Iruka stated cheerily, "As I said, we'll have an introductory to some of the practical skills I told you about earlier," Naruto blinked at that, having zoned the entire introduction speech due to his conversation with the Kyuubi. "Mizuki here," Iruka continued, gesturing to the other man who gave a small wave, "Will be taking you outside to learn the two things every ninja needs to learn,"

"Follow me," Mizuki ordered as he left the room, the students quickly following him. The silver haired ninja led them through the building and to a wide room in the back that had concrete walls and a wood floor. On one end of the room were several posts and several 'bullseye' targets. "Welcome to the training room!" Mizuki announced, his voice echoing slightly in the large room, "This place was made for beginners like you so that a stray kunai doesn't end up hitting a civilian, trust me, it's happened before," he sighed.

Clapping his hands, Mizuki put a smile on his face, "Right then, how about you all come up and show the class what you're made of eh? Best way to learn is by doing, plus it's a good way to gauge this class' abilities, so who wants to go first?" he asked.

Time passed as everyone took their shots at the target, most did adequately while some of the clan kids did better than the others. At the moment, there were only four left, them being the Tuuro twins, the last Uchiha, and only Uzumaki.

"Alright, how about you go next Sasuke?" Mizuki suggested. Said boy merely nodded and grab the offered kunai. Glaring at the target, he threw the black knife at the target. With a 'thunk', the weapon imbedded itself in the wooden frame, right outside the red dot of the bullseye. His accomplishment was met with applause and cheers from the girls while Mizuki praised him for his skill.

Sasuke just glared at the knife, almost as if he was displeased with his accomplishment. At least, that's how Yoku saw it.

"Ha! This'll be easy," Doku boasted as he strutted up and received the kunai. Taking careful aim, he gave a war cry and tossed the blade with all his worth…

And hit the outermost ring. It was the worst shot of the day!

Doku merely stared at the weapon, silent as a statue, the silence taking hold of everyone. The hush was shattered however by the boisterous laughing of a blond jinchuuriki, "Bahahahahahaaa! That was the worst throw I've ever seen! Ahahahahaha!" laughed Naruto.

Doku grew a tic mark on his head and whirled on the blonde, "Oh yeah? Let's see you do better, ya ramen slurping gnome!" he challenged.

Naruto growled at him, "I'll beat you easy, you knuckle dragging moron!" he barked back. Stomping up to Mizuki, he grabbed the kunai, took aim and fired the projectile and scored a decent shot on the target, "Ha! Eat that Doku, dattebayo!"

Doku merely growled at him before lunging at the blonde, before the fight could escalate, Yoku came up to the brawling duo and smacked them both upside the head.

"Now is not the time for this you two, now just sit there and act civil, the day is almost over," Yoku told the two calmly. Finished with his piece, Yoku took the offered blade and aimed it at the target. With a simple toss, the black blade zipped from the grey eyed Tsuuro's hand and screamed towards the target.

With a loud 'THUNK' the blade was embedded in the target, and the results left everyone with their mouths' agape, save for that of two smirking boys.

The blade was buried to the hilt dead center in the target. Sasuke actually blinked at that before sending a calculating look at Yoku.

Mizuki was dumbstruck for a moment longer before clapping a hand on Yoku's shoulder, "Good job! Now, since we're pressed on time, I'm going to go ahead and introduce you guys to some taijutsu!" he announced.

"Since we aren't going to be using the actual ring, the winner will be decided if one person gives up, or if I deem them the winner, got it?" Mizuki asked. The students nodded and Mizuki smirked at that, "Then let's have you," here he pointed at a kid with brown hair, black shades and a trenchcoat, "And you do the first round," he finished, pointing at Doku. Both boys nodded and entered the ring.

"Right, since we haven't really covered any techniques I'm not expecting much more than brawling, but there are no jutsu or weapons allowed, this is pure physical, nothing else!" Mizuki told them sternly. The two boy's nodded, "Now, introduce yourselves as is customary and make this handsign," he instructed, bringing up his right hand to his, the pointer and middle finger straight up towards the ceiling while the others were curled in.

The two did so and the brown haired boy went first, "Shino Aburame," he stated in a monotone.

Doku smirked as he replied, "Doku Tsuuro,"

"Begin!" Mizuki declared. Immediately Doku flung himself at the other boy, fist already up and flying towards Shino before he could react. The Aburame was lucky to bring his arms up in time to block the strike, but his eyes widened when he was flung onto his back from the sheer strength of the strike. Eyes widening, Shino rolled out of the way as Doku brought his heel down where Shino's stomach once was.

Leaping up, Shino had to once again dodge to the left as Doku went for a right jab. Seizing his chance, Shino lunged for Doku but the red-eyed boy swung his arm out and caught the aburame in the back with his arm.

Falling forward, Shino cauht himself and went to get back up, but was halted by the weight that dropped on his back, causing him to gasp out in pain.

The next thing he knew, Shino was pinned to the ground due to Doku sitting on hi back while the Tsuuro's feet kept Shino's arms down. Doku grabbed Shino in a headlock, effectively defeating his opponent.

"Nice job Doku, it's obvious you've won this one," Mizuki called, the red-eyed boy released Shino and helped him back to his feet, "Now then let's get the next two fighters up here,"

As Doku went and sat down next to Naruto and his brother, people started whispering about how easily Doku took down Shino. The Tsuuro's were uninterested, but Naruto heard their words over the clash of the two newest fighters.

"It's like he wasn't even trying-"

"Did you see that punch? How the hell is he that strong?"

"No way that kid is normal, there's jus no way some nobody could take out a clan kid that easy,"

He stopped listening when he noticed Yoku get up to fight the Sakura girl from earlier. The blonde also noticed that Sasuke Uchiha, was looking intently at the approaching whatever reason the Uchiha was interested, Naruto had no idea.

After the introductions both dropped into ready stances, Sakura taking a sloppy horse stance while Yoku merely brought his hands up loosely. For a time they stood there, both just staring at each. Sakura with her emerald glare and Yoku with his cool gaze.

Sakura gave a small huff before shouting, "Well? You going to stand there or are you going to try and fight me?" she demanded.

Yoku blinked before frowning slightly, "It is my understanding that the general rule of courtesy is 'Ladies first'" Yoku replied, his voice betraying his mild confusion.

Sakura growled at that, "Well if that's the way you want it," she started before dashing at him, right fist reared back to deliver a strong blow, "The don't complain when I win!" she shouted, launching her attack.

Her fist flew through the air, intent on crushing Yoku's face, but the Tsuuro denied that plan by moving his head to the left. In almost slow motion, he watched the fist pass him before his right hand grabbed her wrist while at the same time yoku sweeped her legs from under her with his left leg. She fell to the floor, Yoku still holding her arm, but this time, his right palm resting lightly on her elbow.

Sakura gave a small groan and turned her head to glare at Yoku, "What the hell was thAAHHH!" she yelped when Yoku started to gently push on her elbow, straining the muscles and causing a good amount of pain to race up her arm.

"Right now I can break your arm, but I'd rather not do such a thing to a fellow classmate," Yoku answered her, "You are certainly welcome to try and escape, but for the sake of safety reasons,, it would be best for you to just surrender this fight," he suggested. The class could only watch as Sakura begrudgingly admitted her defeat.

To her, it wouldn't have been so bad if Yoku had not decided to walk her back to her seat. When he sat down once more with his twin and friend, both could only give the grey-eyed boy sly smiles.

"So you and miss pink, eh?" Doku asked.

Yoku merely rolled his eyes at his brother, "I was merely being polite," he explained calmly.

"Riiight," Naruto drawled, not attempting to stop his ever-growing smile. Seeing as the grey-eyed boy wouldn't be baited, Naruto decided to listen in on the conversations.

"Man, that kid was pretty good!"

"That guy and the other one who beat the Aburame, they're scary,"

"Those guys are definitely NOT normal,"

"Right then! Whisker boy, and Uchiha, you two are the last fighters so get in here!" Mizuki ordered. Blinking, Naruto got up from his spot and walked over to the waiting chuunin, Sasuke doing the same.

"Alright boys, introduce and get ready," Mizuki instructed.

"Name's Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo!" Naruto introduced himself.

Sasuke just gave a clipped, "Sasuke Uchiha," in response. His tone and the way he answered irked Naruto greatly, the way Sasuke spoke was the same way most people did if they had to talk to him.

"Begin!" announced the instructor. Sasuke dropped into a ready stance while Naruto crouched low to the ground, almost on all fours. The two watched each other, waiting for the first one to strike.

Shockingly, it was Sasuke who charged forward first. The boy went to kick Naruto, but the blond leapt to the side, immediately lunging back at Sasuke, hands raised as if to claw at him.

Sasuke grunted as he sidestepped and went to strike Naruto once more with an elbow strike as Naruto sailed by. However, he quickly stepped back when, somehow, Naruto grabbed the ground and spun, trying to strike with his heel.

Yoku and Doku both blinked at their friend's actions, surprised at his agility.

"**Kit, lose,"** Kyuubi ordered, causing Naruto to pause for a moment in surprise, getting struck across the jaw in the process.

'_Why the hell should I do that? I can beat this guy easy, dattebayo!'_ Naruto replied, swiping at Sasuke and jumping away from his counter.

"**Trust me when I say it will help in the longrun! Now stop using the style I taught you and switch to some brawling!"** demanded the fox.

'_Give me one good reason!'_ Naruto shot back, dive rolling to the side and coming up in a crouch.

"**You don't and I make you up chuck your ramen for a month!"**

That got a reaction from the blond. Immediately, Naruto stopped leaping around and got into a sloppy stance. With a cry, he charged at Sasuke, only to be stopped, have his feet swept from under him and fall flat on his back. Before he could even blink, Naruto was pinned.

Cold obsidian met angry cerulean and in that moment, Naruto realized something.

Sasuke was looking straight past him, as if he were made of glass. The Uchiha got up after he won, not even acknowledging that he had beaten Naruto, something that left a foul taste in Naruto's mouth. Angry at his loss, the blond trudged back to the waiting Tsuuro's, but what they said surprised him.

"Why'd you let him win," they demanded in unison. Naruto blinked at that, but gave a fox grin in response.

"Whaddya mean? I just fluked is allm ttebayo," he responded, as if brushing it off.

Doku smacked him upside the head, "Baka! You were jumping circles around that guy and you expect us to believe that a sudden urge overcame you to stand up and charge him like an idiot?"

"It works for you," Naruto shot back. Before Doku could respond, Yoku decided to take over.

"What he means is that you had no reason to throw that fight, and we know you did so don't try and deny it," Yoku told him seriously. "All we want is one good reason," he explained.

'_Well? You got me into this mess!' What do I tell them?' _Demanded the jinchuuriki of his tenant.

"**Just tell them…"**

The twins watched as Naruto seemed to zone out for a minute before blinking then giving his friends a true foxy grin. "Deception is a ninja's greatest tool," he replied.

The twins just stared at him in response.

**A/N: And here's chapter two. Now i have a question, should i do one more chapter of pre-canon or just tell them in flashbacks and move on? I'll set up a poll and you can answer there. It'll be open for some time, maybe a week so don't expect this story to be updated, but keep an eye out for other updates!**

** Ja ne for now.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A Warrior, An archer and a Fox: Rewritten**

"Regular speech"

'_Regular thought'_

"**Demon/ Summons/ Inner Speaking"**

'_**Demon/Summons thinking'**_

**A/N: Well, looks like this will be a development chapter. Which means next chapter is where things start following canon. Thank you to the people who voted!**

**You may want to be prepared, cause this is going to be a wee bit long.**

"I'm going to kill you!" roared a male voice, it being heard all throughout the village of a just awoken Konoha. At first the people were alarmed, but frowned and went on with their business when they realized the commotion was coming from the home of the Tsuuro twins and Naruto. Currently, two of the three boys could be heard running around the apartment, one screaming death threats and the other laughing uproariously.

The third one, who was sitting at the kitchen table, completely ignored his brothers, as he was deeply engrossed in a book. "Hmm… Interesting," Yoku mumbled, turning the page and ignoring Naruto and Doku as they continued crashing around the apartment.

"When I catch you, you're dead! Hear me? DEAD!" Doku shouted as he chased the jinchurriki. Naruto merely double backed and jumped over the frustrated brunette, laughing as he did so.

"Aw come on, I think you look better with a little make up!" Naruto called as he leapt over the living room couch with ease, in response, Doku merely growled and redoubled his efforts to catch the foxy blond. Cackling, Naruto dashed back to the bedrooms, Doku hot on his heels.

Yoku sighed as he placed his book down got up from the table. Standing just beside the hallway entrance into the main room, the intelligent nine year old waited and listened to the sounds of his roommates crashing in the other room. Hearing the door open he smirked to himself as the frantic footfalls of running feet crashed against the wooden floor, each one louder than the last. Smirking to himself, the Tsuuro stuck his foot out in front of the hallway entrance.

"Hahahah! You'll never cat- waaa!" Naruto laughed before he found himself tripping and falling to the floor. While Naruto could have easily caught himself, Doku upset his balance by ramming into him, which in turn caused both boys to tumble to the ground.

"Now, what're you two fighting about this time?" Yoku asked, a ghost of a smirk on his face and his eyes closed. However, he cracked one upon when he heard the scuffling of his brothers fighting on the floor. That and they were back to insulting each other.

"Hold still so I can make **your** face look prettier!" Doku snarled.

"Oh lighten up, I'm giving you a chance to win true love!"

"So am I! Now hold still!"

"Get off me bastard!"

"Die midget!"

"NEVER!"

And so another episode of Doku vs. Naruto occurs. Sighing, Yoku walked down the hall and opened the door to the only bathroom. Grabbing a bucket, the nine year old filled it with water and, once it was full enough for him, carried it back to the two still fighting boys. In one swift movement he dumped the water onto the boys.

"Yaaaa! Jeez that's cold!" shouted the now soaked duo.

"Now what were you two fighting abo-" Yoku began asking, but stopped when he saw the now running make-up that was on Doku's face. "Naruto, why did you put make-up on my brother?" asked the grey-eyed Tsuuro.

The shaggy, spiky haired blond merely grinned in response, showing off his sharp canines. Rolling his eyes, Yoku walked past his brothers and to the door, "In any case, school starts soon so I suggest we get going unless you want to be late," Yoku stated as he slipped on his sandals.

"Bah, like you need to even go to the academy," Doku grumbled, wiping the rest of the make-up off his face and rushing after his brother, tugging on a pair of old leather boots as he ran after him. Naruto merely walked out of the house, no shoes on his feet, but a smile that closed his eyes on his face.

It had been four years since the three boys had met and things had changed in regards to the boys, at least, to their bodies and apparel.

Yoku had become quite the intellectual and marksman. Only one other person in the entire academy could match Yoku's accuracy and she was a year ahead. The boy knew all sorts of things and was easily one of the most intelligent people in the classroom. He'd even be a candidate for rookie of the year if it weren't for the fact that his physical skills were so average. In straight taijutsu and physical strength, Yoku was no better or worse than the average student. True, he was quite formidable when school first started, but as the other students started to learn better fighting skills, the field became more even. His attire had become a simple black shirt with a white wing design on the back along with some white shorts.

Doku had become the opposite of his brother. Whereas Yoku was incredibly intelligent, Doku was on the lower end when it came to academics. He wasn't one for using long-range weapons so his score in that was also a tad below average. He might have been the dead last in his class if it weren't for the simple fact that nobody could beat Doku in taijutsu or anything purely physical. Doku had the best strength, speed, and taijutsu skills in his class and was second in stamina only to Naruto. The red-eyed boy wore a simple red muscle shirt and brown pants along with matching old leather boots he had bought.

Naruto… Naruto was a mystery to most people. He constantly did things very few people understood. For example, he'd completely fail physical tests only to be found outrunning ANBU the very next day as if it were the easiest thing in the world. He was, if one were to judge his intelligence by his test scores, the dumbest kid in the academy, yet those who have ever seen the blond plan and pull off a prank knew otherwise.

As far as looks go, Naruto still had the same spiky blond hair, the same dazzling blue eyes, the same tanned skin and the same triple whisker marks on each cheek. However there had been a few changes if one looked closely enough. Like how the whisker marks were darker than they had been, how his pupils had started to become slit like so many predators, even how his hair had become shaggier and fur like. As for clothes, the Uzumaki wore a black T-shirt, an orange jacket and some loose jeans. For some odd reason, he didn't wear shoes, sandals or any kind of footwear for that matter.

Arriving at the school the three boys walked into the building and quickly made it to class just as the bell rang. "Ma, you boys are certainly cutting it close today," teased a male voice. Turning their heads, the trio gave small smiles in return to their teacher.

"Ohayo Mizuki-sensei," they greeted, well, Yoku greeted him, Doku just waved at him with a bored look, one that always appeared when he entered the academy. Naruto merely gave him a foxy grin, one showing off his sharpening teeth and causing his eyes to squint almost shut, "Sorry for being late, but there were some complications this morning,"

"Ah, let me guess." Mizuki said with an amused twinkle in his eye, "Naruto did something to Doku or is it the other way around?"

"It really wouldn't be that different either way," Yoku replied with a smile. Mizuki just laughed in response and waved them to their seats. Splitting up, each boy sat in his preferred seat. While they were friends, they didn't exactly want to be in proximity of each other twenty-four seven. That and none of them could agree on a single seating area as each had their own preference.

Yoku sat in the middle of the class in the middle row for several reasons. It was a good place to see the board, hear the teacher and observe the class. It was also right behind Sasuke Uchiha, thus being the perfect place to observe fan girls in their natural environment.

For some reason, Yoku had become obsessed with studying fan girls.

Doku sat far left and very front of the room. Now why he sat there was for two reasons, one, it was the closest he could get to the door and two, the place was in the teacher's blind spot. So long as he was quiet and didn't outright try and leave class in the middle of the lesson he could pretty much do anything. Sitting next to him was Shino Aburame, and surprisingly, the two got along pretty well.

Naruto sat in the far back row closest to the window because A) he liked to look outside. B) He could chat/learn from Kyuubi and not be bothered by the teacher or other students. C) It was a quick entrance and exit route and lastly…

"Ohayo, N-Naruto-kun," a timid voice greeted the blond. Turning his head away from the window, Naruto grinned happily at the female who stood nervously next to him.

"Ohayo, Hinata-chan!" greeted the Uzumaki exuberantly, causing the indigo haired girl to blush violently. Before the two could even begin a conversation, Iruka entered and began class. As the Hyuuga girl quickly took her seat, Naruto merely smiled to himself and turned his attention to the front of the room. However, no sooner had Iruka's beginning words entered his head did the boy hear the mental voice of his tenant and surrogate father.

"**Ah such a nice girl,"** sighed the Kyuubi happily, **"Strange though, she is hardly what I expect from a Hyuuga,"** he mused aloud.

'_And what's wrong with that? She's a lot more fun than those other ones'_ Naruto responded, his cerulean orbs shifting to the right to peek at the girl sitting next to him. _'And nicer too, not mention a hell of a lot cuter'_ he stated with a slight smile and blush.

"**Someone's got a crush~" **Kyuubi sang teasingly.

'_Do not!'_ Naruto denied immediately a vulpine scowl making itself present on his face, _'I'm merely pointing out the obvious'_ he stated simply. There was a pause and one could practically hear the Kyuubi arching his brow at his container's rebuttal. With a mental sigh Naruto asked _'Is it that obvious?'_

"**Ha! More obvious than the direction this story is heading,"** laughed Kyuubi.

'_Huh?'_

"**The ability will come in time young one, for now, just roll with it,"**

'_Riiight… Anyway, Isn't this the part where Danasca writes a flashback scene and explains how me and Hinata met?'_ Naruto asked.

"**And so it begins!"** Kyuubi declared with a mad cackle.

**Flashback, Academy, one month after its start**

It was lunch period for the academy students of Konoha, the time of day where everyone is released from class to eat their lunches and get a respite from the day. It was a time for students to do as they wished without much worry, but for Hinata Hyuuga, lunch that day was just another part of a bad day.

"Aww what's wrong Nata-chan? Are you gonna cry?" mocked a raven haired girl. The group of academy student females laughed at the Hyuuga heiress, fully enjoying their time in tormenting the child.

Hinata merely lowered her head and tried desperately to hold back the flood of tears. _'Could this day be any worse?'_ she nearly wailed in her mind. Today had not been a good day for Hinata. From the moment she woke up to now her day had been miserable.

It had started with her waking up late, something she rarely did. Due to this, she had been rushed that morning, only being able to take a quick shower of cold water (first come first served was the rule in the compound in regards to hot water, regardless of elder, branch or main member of the Hyuuga) She had then quickly dressed, her hair still wet and not brushed or combed. Dashing out of the compound in a manner much unbefitting a Hyuuga heiress, she had skipped breakfast, yet despite all of that, she had still been late, very late, as she had been behind the trio of boys who were barely on time/late on a regular basis. That had resulted in being lectured by Iruka in front of the entire class on the importance of punctuality, something that had been drilled into her head since birth.

The only thing good about it was that Naruto had spoken out in defense for Hinata. While she wondered why someone would do such a thing for her, it still warmed her heart, if only a little.

Sadly though, her day did not get better, as it seemed it only got worse. As Hinata had sat down in the back row, she could not help but notice some of the stares and whispers sent her way. At first she was confused, but when she heard the question 'what's with her hair' from some unknown person, she immediately understood. Putting delicate fingers to her indigo colored hair, she felt the irregular tufts and loose strands that marked had crafted themselves from her air dried and unkempt hair. Another thunderclap in her already stormy and gloomy day had been when she received her quiz that the class had taken a week ago.

Needless to say it was not a score to tell your parents about. In fact, you'd keep it to yourself for a long time and hope beyond hope that your parents never find out about it.

When lunch finally came around, that time of bliss and relaxation for most, Hinata had felt some relief. However that relief had been dampened by the realization that she had forgotten her lunch in her haste to get to the academy on time. With a slight trudge in her walk, Hinata had followed her classmates outside and made for a tree near the back of the academy. Sitting down on the grass with her back to the trunk, Hinata watched the other students as she mentally reviewed the events that had happened today. Unconsciously, she was wondering what else could go wrong that day.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Little Nata-chan," came a mocking feminine voice. Glancing up, the girl's heart dropped as she beheld a group of girls standing in front of her, a group of girls that were known for being very umm, petty… yes… petty…

At any rate, these girls were bullies, and Sasuke fangirls, but mostly bullies. They took great pride in belittling people like Hinata, that is, people who are different in a noticeable fashion. Like Naruto and his bad grades, Shino with his bugs (though they quickly learned to leave him alone for several reasons) and Hinata because of her crippling shyness. Of course, like with every group, there is one who is worse than any other.

"Aww, poor little Hyuuga princess, what's wrong? Are we hurting your feelings?" asked the lead girl. This girl was easily one of the prettiest girls in the academy. She had the most perfect brown silky hair, incredible eyes of sparkling jade, and so on and so forth. Even though she was just a child, she was already so pretty and there was little doubt that she would grow up to become a beautiful woman.

She was a beautiful flower, a pretty princess and was thus named as such. Her name was Hanahime.

Hinata's shoulders started to shake as she barely held back her sobs. She cursed herself for being so weak, for not being able to stand up for her self. _'Please, someone make them stop!'_ she mentally wailed.

"HEY! Why don't you pick on someone else?" shouted a voice. Surprised, Hinata looked up to see none other than Naruto shoving his way through the group of girls. Stopping in front of Hinat he turned around and glared at Hanahime, "Where do you get off bullying other people?" demanded the Uzumaki, glaring defiantly up at Hinata's tormentor.

Hanahime frowned, "And just what exactly are you doing freak? Shouldn't you be off playing by yourself somewhere?" she asked snidely. Naruto growled at that which in turn only caused her to smirk and the other girls to giggle, "Well 'grr' right back at you mister no manners! Didn't your parents ever teach you proper etiquette?" she asked mockingly, knowing full well just how low a blow she had struck.

Naruto merely narrowed his eyes at her. He didn't have a comeback to that, but lucky for him, he had an ancient kitsune to supply him with some witty comebacks "At least I came to the right academy, this one is for shinobi, the geisha school is a couple blocks over," the boy fired back, thanking his tenant for the shot at the young girl's make up covered visage.

Needless to say, all the females present were slack jawed at the blonde's comeback. Hinata had covered her mouth in astonishment while the other girls just stared wise eyed at the now grinning jinchuuriki.. Hanahime… well, she was not happy.

"Watch it freak," she spat, "Someone like you has no place saying something like that to someone like me," she stated with a condescending stare.

"Oh then let me apologize!" Naruto said, giving a formal bow, "I did not realize that I, a simple orphan child, had no reason to insult or bother a common village girl," he said standing back up with a foxy grin, "Of course, if I have no business disturbing you, then you have no business bothering the heiress to the Hyuuga clan," he finished with a grin.

Hanahime glared at the blond and that glare intensified when she started hearing murmurs of agreement from the other girls, "Mind your own business!" she finally shouted in frustration.

"Kami, what the hell is the screaming all about?" asked a voice familiar only to Naruto. Turning to face this new voice, the people gathered saw none other than the Tsuuro twins standing before them, "Seriously, whats with all the noise?" Doku asked once again, arms crossed over his chest. Yoku merely stood back and observed, his face giving nothing away as his eyes took in the details of the scene before him.

Hanahime saw a chance to get back at Naruto then, to make him regret bothering her and her fun. _'This'll teach that nobody to mess with me!'_ she thought. Putting on her best pathetic face, the girl rushed over to Doku and began her plan, "That mean boy was picking on poor Hinata-chan and when we came over to make him stop, he started being mean to us!" she lied, her voice filled with false anguish. She clutched onto the front of Doku's shirt and looked up at him with watery eyes, "Please make him go away," she begged to the boy who was a head taller than her.

Behind her, the other girls all nodded in agreement while Hinata and Naruto had looks of disbelief and outrage respectively. Doku looked up from Hanahime to Naruto with a confused expression and then turned his head to Yoku whose face was carefully blank.

"Um… Lemme talk to my bro real quick," Doku stated, gently pushing the girl away. That done he approached Yoku and the two held a quick conversation, well, Yoku spoke really quickly while Doku just nodded along. With that done, Yoku ran off while Doku walked back to Hanahime and her friends. "Alright, where's the jerk whose been bugging you?" he said out loud.

Naruto's jaw nearly hit the ground at that. Just as Naruto was about to scream and cuss out the red-eyed Tsuuro, Doku caught his eyes and gave him a wink and knowing grin, something no one else present noticed.

With Hinata, all she could do was watch in silent disbelief as Doku began a slow walk towards a stubbornly standing Naruto. As she watched, she could only curse at herself for not being able to speak up in defense of the boy who had come to defend her. She wanted to scream at Doku that it was Hanahime who was bugging her, not Naruto! That it was her that should be stopped, not the whisker marked boy! If only she wasn't so damn shy!

Before anything significant could happen though, an average girl about the same age as those gathered around the tree came running and screamed at the top of her lungs, "I JUST SAW SASUKE HOLDING HANDS WITH SOME GIRL!"

Immediately, the group of female bullies converged on the newly arrived girl and began questioning her with rapid fire and angry voices. "They were near the back of the academy! I swear they were holding hands and laughing!" the average girl exclaimed. With a mighty cry of outrage, the group of girls, with Hanahime in the lead, rushed away from the scene, off to see this phenomenon for themselves.

Hinata merely watched in disbelief as the girls left, not entirely sure that what just happened had actually happened. Hearing laughing she snapped out of her daze and watched in confusion as Doku and Naruto laughed together while the average girl approached the two.

"Now that's just too cruel!" Naruto laughed.

"To who, Sasuke or those girls?" Doku asked with a grin.

"Does it matter? Either way someone is going home in a pissy mood," Naruto replied.

"True, but lets not forget who made this all possible,"

"Yup! Nice going Yoku!"

Giving a mock bow, the average girl was consumed by a spontaneous cloud of white smoke. When it vanished, it revealed the slightly smiling form of Yoku Tsuuro. "Please, please, it was nothing," he dismissed; waving off the applause Doku and Naruto were giving him. Walking forward, Yoku stopped until he was standing in front of Hinata, a small smile on his face, "Are you ok Hyuuga-san? Those girls didn't cause you too much trouble I hope?"

"I-I, um…" the girl could only stare and stammer as she tried to figure out just what happened. Shaking her head a bit, she gave a small smile and said, "Th-thank you, all of you"

"Bah, no problem, but we should probably scram before those girls get back," Naruto dismissed, clapping a hand on Hinata's shoulder. The Hyuuga blushed and flinched slightly at the contact, "They're going to be pissed when they find out they were tricked,"

"Pff, how bad could it be?" Doku asked. No sooner had he said it then a terrible sound of feminine fury arose from behind the academy.

"Judging by the pitch of whatever that was and how Naruto grabbed Hinata and ran off, I'd say it would be pretty bad," Yoku answered before he too turned tail and fled from the scene, his face impassive, but there was a light of fear and excitement in his eyes as he ran. _'Time to see just how vicious a species this is'_ was his single though.

Doku… Well, lets just say that this is an event that Doku would become used to in years to come.

On a side note, many would argue whether the cry heard from the academy that day was one of dismay, challenge or joy.

**End Flashback**

"**And the rest is history then?"** asked the fox, seeing as his container stopped reminiscing over that day.

'_More or less'_ shrugged Naruto as he followed the rest of his class out the door for some reason he didn't hear. _'So whats the plan for today? I kind of spaced out' _Naruto asked the fox.

"**Team Navigation Exercise,"** responded the demon. **"Apparently they're going to drop you off somewhere in the forest with a team and you have to get to a certain point on the map they give you,"**

Naruto blinked at that. _'That's… that actually seems like a good thing to learn'_

"**See? School can teach you something useful!"**

'_Now if only it had more action and less books and lectures'_

"**Agreed"**

Coming back to the real world, Naruto noted he and his class were all standing in the forest and Iruka was dividing the groups into teams. "Alright everyone settle down! Now, I'm going to divide you into teams and in order to pass successfully, your entire tema has to arrive at the designated location together before sundown, understand?" receiving nods from the students, the scar nosed chuunin continued, "Ok, our first time will be made up of Shino, Ino and Sasuke," said female gave a cry of joy while the rest all groaned and cried out in protest or dismay. Sasuke merely flicked his eyes towards the approaching Shino and gave a barely noticeable nod to when the Aburame stopped beside him.

"Next team is Sakura, Chouji and Hinata," declared the teacher. Sakura sighed and trudged over to stand next to the happily eating Akamichi boy. Hinata was hesitant, but a small push from Naruto along with one of his smiles gave her the courage, and a healthy blush, to go and stand next to the other two.

"Naruto, Doku and Yoku will be on a team," the three boys all gave a sign of approval at this as they hooked up. When Iruka had announced the rest of the teams, Mizuki handed everyone a map. Then without warning, the two teachers vanished into twin columns of smoke, leaving the students to fend for themselves.

"All right! Give me the map and lets get going!" Doku proclaimed, snatching the piece of paper from his twin. "Now, with my awesome skills of navigation, we'll pass this test in no time!" he declared. With a shake of the map, Doku stared at the parchment for a bit.

…

…

…

"Uh, Doku? Shouldn't we get moving?" Naruto asked, an impatient frown o his face, but if one looked, they could see the twinkle of amusement in his blue eyes.

Startled, the boy tore his eyes away from the map and glared at the blond, "O-Of Course! Just making sure I have my bearings right is all…" he finished with a mumble. Ignoring the small snicker from the fox jinchuuriki, Doku headed off into a random direction shouting, "Come on! I don't want to fail because of you two!" shouted the brunette. Naruto happily followed after him, hands resting on the back of his head while Yoku brought up the rear.

**Two hours later**

"That tree looks pretty familiar, we must be getting close to our destination!" Doku declared. "Stick with me fellas, and we'll be there in no time!" he stated confidently.

"The only reason that tree looks familiar is because we've passed it five times now," Yoku muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Giving Doku a map is like giving a Neanderthal a book!" he finished with a small growl.

"Oh come on, doesn't it feel nice being outside in the woods?" Naruto asked. The blond sighed happily as he walked. If there was one thing he loved, it was the outdoors, _'I wonder what Hinata thinks of the woods?'_ Naruto wondered idly as he kept following Doku and an annoyed Yoku.

While the three continued to walk, none of them noticed the hidden figure in the trees, watching with sadistic glee as the trio moved towards his trap. "Time to earn my keep," chuckled the shadow, jumping away and ahead of the group.

The three boys had wandered into a thick part of the forest and Yoku had had enough of his brother's misdirection.

"GIVE ME THAT MAP YOU HAPLESS BUFOON!" shouted Yoku, snatching the paper from his brother, "You have absolutely no idea where you are going and have been misleading us for the past two hours! I will no longer sit idly by while your ignorance and arrogance leads us in circles around this place!"

"And what the hell makes yo-" Doku started, but stopped when he see the murderous glint in his brother's eye. Holding his tongue, the boy swallowed his anger and settled for mumbling under his breath. Naruto on the other hand was blinking at what just happened.

'_Huh, never thought I'd see that happen'_

"**Everyone has a breaking point Naruto, though be happy this is more annoyance than actual fury,"** Kyuubi spoke.

'_Eh? What do you mean?'_

"**Fury can make people do things Naruto, and if it's fury that has been repressed for who knows how long, than you could have a very big problem,"**

'_Good to know'_ Naruto said, choosing to push off on the lesson for the moment, because an ominous feeling had overcome him. "Umm guys, I think we should run," Naruto spoke up, his eyes franticly scanning the forest as alarm bells triggered by his instincts were going off in his head.

"What for?" Doku asked with a frown.

It was then that some hulking and monstrous _thing_ burst from the foliage right next to the boys. "That's why!" Naruto shouted in fear. Not even thinking, the blond dashed into the underbrush, quickly falling to all fours and running like any quadruped. Doku and Yoku ran as well, the red-eyed boy in the lead with his grey-eyed twin close behind him. The beast gave chase, it's hulking frame smashing through any obstacle in its way.

"The hell is that thing!" Doku shouted, jumping over a shrub.

"Humanoid and bestial at the same time," Yoku huffed, glancing back at the beast, his widened eyes the only indication his fear for the creature, "Posibly some kind of hybrid,"

"Whatever the hell it is just keep running!" Naruto shouted back.

So the three boys ran. Crashing through the forest, trampling plants and dodging trees the three students ran from the monster, the only one to ever look back being Yoku. For whatever reason, the intelligent Tsuuro wanted to know what exactly was chasing him, but he only ever got bits and pieces of the beast at a time. A clawed hand or leg. A black eye burning with bloodlust. The flash of razor sharp teeth. These were some of the things seen by the boy and he would not forget them anytime soon.

They soon broke out of the forest only to come to a sudden stop as the particular part of forest they had exited ended almost right on the edge of a cliff. To their right was a small waterfall that cascaded into a large lake. Hearing the beast, the boys scrambled towards the waterfall, for whatever reason is unknown, maybe because they believed the sound of a waterfall would make the beast go back, maybe because they thought if they dodged at just the right moment, the beast would plummet to it's death. However, the best reason was that it was a completely arbitrary decision based off of fear.

Whatever reason, Naruto, Doku, and Yoku were now trapped. On their left, a drop of about fifteen feet, on their right the dense forest. In front of them was a river to wide to jump or wade and right behind them, the beast!

Hearing a snarl, the three whirled around to behold the beast in mid-leap towards them. Time seemed to slow down for the boys and each one had a different reaction.

Naruto was nothing but surprised and confused. _'What the hell is that thing? Where the hell did it come from?'_ were the only things going on his head while his more animalistic instincts only told him it was something unnatural yet familiar._ 'Who or what is that thing?'_

For Yoku, his eyes were scanning every inch of the beast that he could see, the world seemingly slowed to barely even a crawl while his mind worked a million miles a minute. _'Hybrid. Feline qualities. Large. Clawed hands and feet. Shredded ninja outfit. Trajectory of leap aimed directly at of overpowering beast: zero. Escape and Evasion options. Leap into river, fatal. Jump from cliff to lake, fatal. Duck under beast and run, slim. Best option, head back into the woods.'_ Yet before he could implement any of these actions, his brother's reaction shocked everyone.

Doku's reaction was completely instinctual or irrational. The red-eyed boy leapt forward, smashing into the beast and sending them both careening over the edge of the cliff, one with a primal roar, and the other with a war cry. Doku had not thought, had not hesitated when his mind had registered one thing.

'_Yoku will die if I don't do something'_

Naruto and Yoku could only watch in shock as their friend and brother plummeted into the lake. They were silent, even after the splash of the bodies hitting the water had echoed and reverberated off the cliff walls. Neither boy could believe what just happened. Yoku merely watched, watched as the water where Doku and the beast had fallen was slowly dyed red. Watched as the figure of the beast walked onto the lakeshore and dashed off to lick its wounds. Simply watched and memorized every detail with his steely gaze.

Yoku showed no emotion, felt nothing as he was too shocked by what happened. His silence and apathy was shattered however, by an explosion of raw, malevolent energy from Naruto.

With a roar, the blond leapt from the cliff top and dove into the lake, the water making an sound that was a mixture between a splash and hiss. Steam rose from Naruto's entry point.

Yoku merely watched in shock at what happened. He did not stay long however as his body finally forced him back into action. Without even thinking, Yoku began to run along the cliff face, looking for a way down. It did not take him long to find a route down.

As Yoku climbed down the cliff, Naruto was in the water, searching for Doku or his body. It didn't take long time to find him.

There Doku was, blood painting the water red. Where on his body the blood was coming from Naruto didn't know, but all he cared about was getting his friend out of the water.

Using the newfound energy and strength given to him by his tenet, Naruto swam forward and grabbed Doku. Then, kicking hard, the blond made for the lake surface. His lungs were screaming for air, but that did nothing, but to make Naruto kick harder and faster.

With a gasp, the two broke the surface. Naruto stopped to catch his breath for a moment before swimming towards shore, ignoring the trail of red he was leaving behind, though it made him wonder just how much Doku had and would.

Finally getting to the shore, the Uzumaki paused just long enough to catch his breath. He was still throbbing with the Kyuubi's power and when he saw that Doku wasn't moving, another pulse of power erupted from him.

He was angry, absolutely furious that out of nowhere one of his only friends was now dead because of some damn monster! "Kuso! I'm going to kill that thing!" Naruto growled to himself, his blue eyes slowly bleeding into a blazing crimson.

"**Kit wait!"** the Kyuubi shouted.

"Why! That thing needs to pay! Doku's dead because of that… that… that thing!" Naruto spoke aloud, uncaring if anyone heard him.

"**Because you've still got a chance to save him!"** shouted the fox demon. That made Naruto stop and listen, **"Kit, it's a long shot, but we can try and see if we can use some of my chakra to heal Doku,"**

"How?" Naruto demanded, already going over to Doku's body. Unknown to him, Yoku had already arrived and was rushing over to the two. What he saw confused and amazed him.

Red chakra slowly formed around Naruto's hands, which surprised Yoku as he had always known that chakra was invisible, only visible when in large quantity. The fact that it was red only further surprised Yoku. Walking up behind his roommate, Yoku watched as Naruto did something that amazed him.

While Naruto hadn't seen because of the blood and his own raging emotions, Yoku could see the puncture wounds on his brother's neck. _'That thing must have bitten him' _He could easily see the gashes scored across his twin's chest and shoulders as well._ 'Those claws did less damage than I thought they would'_ Yoku thought grimly.

Yet he watched in fascination as the red chakra from Naruto's hands snaked across Doku's body and formed around the bleeding wounds. Slowly, they seemed to seep into the openings and slowly knit the skin back together. The skin reformed, bit by bit, cell by cell, layer by layer. By this time, Yoku had walked up and was watching with rapt attention as the red chakra healed his brother. When Doku was whole once more, the two remained in silence as they watched Doku's unconscious form. After a time, the boys looked up and their eyes met, vibrant blue meeting with intense grey. Yoku broke the silence first, "Arigatou, Naruto,"

Naruto blinked before simply nodding. There was a moment of silence then…

"What exactly did you do just now?" Yoku asked.

"Yes Naruto, what exactly just happened?" spoke up another voice, an old wizened one that the two easily recognized. Except it wasn't filled with the usual warmth and amusement as usual. It was serious in a way they had never heard before.

Looking towards it, the two beheld no one other than the Sandaime Hokage himself, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

And they had never seen his face as serious as it was in that moment.

"I think we should get Doku to a hospital, and Naruto, I need to speak with you, privately,"

**The next day**

"Has anyone seen Naruto Uzumaki, Doku Tsuuro, or Yoku Tsuuro?" Iruka asked the class. To his growing worry, the teacher was met with a corus of no's and shaken heads. The three boys had not been seen since yesterday and Iruka was worried that they might still be in the woods. The two had never come back and Mizuki couldn't find a trace of them. Iruka had gone to check as well, but they were still gone!

What worried him more was that pulse of energy he'd felt. That chakra… There was no mistaking it for the fox's. Yet, for something like that to happen must have meant something happened to Naruto, something bad.

"Iruka-sensei, do YOU know what happened to them?" Ino asked her teacher, eager to know why her fellow classmates weren't here, "I never saw them at the meeting place on the map? Did they ever make it?"

That opened the floodgates for a whole slew of questions. None of which were easy for Iruka to begin answering, Soon it just became pandemonium, with rumors, reasons and what not flying through the air!

That all stopped when the door opened however.

Silence claimed the room as a familiar spiky headed blond entered the class. The class watched as Naruto, and only Naruto, slowly trudged over to Iruka and handed him a piece of paper. Like a kicked puppy, the young man walked to his seat and sat down barely lifting his head enough to send Hinata a pathetic attempt of a smile.

Iruka read the note, his eyes widening before becoming sad. "Right, time to start class," Iruka announced. Thus class was started, but the other students would keep glancing back at the depressed form of Naruto and the two empty seats.

As for Naruto, he just sat there, staring at the grain of the wood of his desk. He'd told the old man what had happened, right after they had taken Doku to the hospital. Yoku had gone back home and when Naruto got back, he walked in to Yoku's room to see him furiously reading books and making notes in a journal of sorts. Yoku had refused to go come to the academy and Naruto suspected that his friend had stayed up all night.

His problem now however was this. Yoku had seen Naruto use the fox's chakra. The hokage had told him that Doku could probably just as easily die from the chakra that had healed his wounds. So now Naruto had to wait and hope that he hadn't killed one of his only friends.

They would want to know just what Naruto had done. How could he tell them that the demon that nearly slaughtered their village was sealed in his gut? He didn't know how they'd react to their friend having a demon in his gut. A demon that was a thousand times more powerful than the thing that attacked them in the forest.

They were his only friends in the worls! Now one was in the hospital with a chance of dying and the other had seemingly snapped from the shock of what happened! The mere thought of losing the two people that had shown him the joys of having friends was just…

"N-Naruto-kun? A-A-Are you ok?" a delicate voice asked while a petite hand touched his shoulder. Looking up, Naruto came face to face with a very worried Hinata, "Naruto-kun what wrong? You're crying," she asked quietly, her stutter overcome by her worry.

He blinked then touched a hand to his face; sure enough his fingers were wet with his own tears. Naruto stared at Hinatsa, and in that instant, he was overcome with such a profound feeling of sadness. Flinging his arms around her, the blond wrapped Hinata up in a tight embrace and proceeded to weep into her shoulder.

"Ah! Uh," Hinata was surprised by the normally happy boy's sudden outbreak into tears. Her confusion didn't last long however, soon she returned the hug and comforted the distraught boy. The bothe of them ignored the stares they received from their fellow classmates.

**The hospital at the same time**

Doku stared at the white wall across from his bed, his red eyes simmering with frustration. He was stuck in the hospital with nothing to do, and he had been forbidden from leaving the confines of his bed.

While that would be enough to make anyone frustrated, there was another reason to his foul mood.

That monster had nearly killed him. That thing could have taken his life and it was only by luck that he was still alive. He had nearly drowned.

He shuddered slightly at that. He could still remember the water that rushed down his throat and into his nostrils. He could still remember the sensation of the water filling his ears, making him deaf to everything around him. He could still feel the water pushing down on him, the light of the surface growing faintewr and fainter as the water dragged him slowly deeper and deeper into its depths. He remembered the world slowly turning black, the last thing he saw being the inky red tendrils created by his own blood as it snaked its way to the surface.

He shook away the memories and squashed the fear that was rising inside of him. Growling to himself, Doku slammed his fist into the bed, angry at what had happened to him.

That monster and then nearly drowning had shown him just how weak he really was. He was furious that he wasn't strong enough to take on that monster. That he wasn't strong enough to escape the grip of the water.

He shuddered again. "Damn it!" he swore under his breath. Just thinking about it made him fearful. "Stupid water," he muttered. His stomach growled at that moment.

Looking on the table next to his bed, Doku saw some hospital food( he didn't have a clue what it was) and a single glass of water. Automatically, he grabbed the plate and glass and began to eat. After a few chews he brought the glass to his lips and began to drink.

No sooner had the water entered his mouth then did he spit it right back out and fling the glass at the wall, a frenzied and terrified look in his eyes. He watched as the glass shattered and tried to calm himself. "Kuso!" he swore loudly. He couldn't even drink a glass of water without the memory of nearly drowning in it popping into his head!

"Is this what I've been reduced to?" he asked himself, "My career hasn't even begun and I'm already being haunted by traumatic memories!" he growledangrily. The image of the beast entered his head again, but this time it was laughing at him.

"Stupid monster," he muttered, "If I had just been stronger than that thing…" he muttered. Shaking his head angrily, Doku dispelled the negative thoughts. He wasn't going to brood over this. "I'm not going to let that thing lor anything like it ever beat me again!" he swore to himself.

"As soon as I'm out of here, I'm going to train to be the strongest! Stronger than Naruto, stronger than the hokage and stronger than that damn monster!"

His plan now set, the red-eyed boy impatiently awaited his release from his white walled prison.

**Meanwhile, at the apartment of all three boys**

Yoku pored over the anatomy book in front of him, his grey eyes rimmed with dark circles from a night of no sleep. The lack of sleep did not seem to bother him in the least. The boy had been up all night, only leaving the house once, to the library to check out a large supply of books that now surrounded him at his desk.

Stopping his reading, Yoku grabbed a pencil and began writing something down in a notebook. The note book was already filled with a dozen other notes and a couple pages were detailed drawings of the beast that had attacked him the day before.

The books that surrounded Yoku were books on the human body, the body of a tiger, some works on chakra and there was even a book on interrogation techniques. The reason why he had these books was simple.

Yoku wanted vengeance.

That beast was still out there, and it had nearly killed his brother. Such a thing could not go unpunished, not for Yoku at least. Yoku wanted to find that creature, and he would make it pay. He knew he'd find it again, knew that the thing in the forest was no mere abomination.

How he knew was still a mystery to him, but something in his gut told him so. Even if it wasn't, Yoku still wanted to kill that creature. Yoku also knew that one day, he would meet that creature again, and this time, he would be ready for it.

Stopping his reading for a moment, Yoku looked up at the picture of the beast he had drawn and pinned to the wall in front of his desk. The young Tsuuro didn't know if he should thank or curse his artistic abilities and photographic memory, but he knew what he was looking for.

His cold grey eyes met the pitch black of the beast's and he said, "We will meet again monster," he whispered.

"And this time, I'll be ready,"

**A/N: And done! Wow, longer than I initially thought, but hey, not bad. Anyway, next chapter we start kicking things off so stay tuned and remember to leave me some reviews!**

**Ja ne**


	4. Chapter 4

**A Warrior, An archer and a Fox: Rewritten**

"Regular speech"

'_Regular thought'_

"**Demon/ Summons/ Inner Speaking"**

'_**Demon/Summons thinking'**_

**A/N: Wow it certainly has been a while. Well, let's just cut the chatter and get right to the show!**

"Congratulations to all of you who passed! Be sure to come back in one week for your team assignments!" Iruka declared to the class of newly appointed genin. He and Mizuki both watched in pride as the children all rushed outside to show their parents their newly awarded headbands.

As the children all beamed with pride over their achievement and at the praise of their parents, one boy stood apart from the rest.

Naruto Uzumaki watched his classmates meet with their parents with a bittersweet smile on his face._ 'I guess I can't be completely jealous'_ he thought as his grin grew slightly _'I did pass after all!'_ he declared mentally as his hand reached up to adjust the Hitai-ate wrapped securely around his forehead. _'Now if only they had it in orange'_ he mused as he leaned back against the tree he had been sitting in front of.

"**Bah! If anything you should have seen if they had it in crimson! Orange is nice and all, but Yoku has a point when he says it makes you a target,"** Kyuubi spoke up to his surrogate son.

Naruto merely shrugged, though he did glance at his burnt orange jacket. While it wasn't bright, he wouldn't deny that it did little to hide him. In all honesty, nothing about his garb said he was a ninja. If he took off his kunai pouch and headband, he'd be left in his orange jacket, white shirt, and loose blue jeans, another average teenager.

Except for the fact that he had no shoes.

"So this is where you are," a familiar voice called out. Naruto turned to look and what he saw brought a wide grin to his face as well as made his heart skip a beat.

Hinata Hyuuga approached the seated blond, a warm smile on her face and Naruto could not help but admire her. That bobbed indigo hair with bangs that framed a beautiful porcelain face, those pupil-less lavender tinted eyes all spoke volumes of her still budding beauty. She was not the same shy girl he had first met, even though she still did hide behind that heavy white jacket and baggy blue shorts.

Finally she reached the blond and stood over his seated form a warm smile on her face. Naruto returned the smile.

"Congratulations Naruto-kun," Hinata spoke, "I knew you could do it,"

"Right back at you Nata-chan," Naruto beamed, pointing at the forehead protector that hung from the blushing girl's neck.

"S-So! Where are, um, Yoku and Doku?" Hinata asked curiously, slowly sitting next to her friend, however she immediately grew concerned when Naruto's grinning face immediately frowned.

"Doku… He's probably out venting…" Naruto stated sourly.

"Ah… I-I didn't mean to upset you, I just, um,…" Hinata trailed off, her index fingers poking together nervously.

"It's fine… Yoku went looking for him so I wouldn't worry too much about it," Naruto assured her with a sad sigh, "Still though, to work as hard as he did and just… to be told that…"

"You failed," Hinata finished quietly.

It was a sad and true fact. Doku Tsuuro had failed the genin exams. They had all been surprised to see Doku exit that room and silently leave without a word to anyone, but the way he avoided everyone's gaze and how he nearly ripped the door off it's hinges when he left explained his bad mood perfectly.

"**He spent five years training like a madman, can you blame him for being furious?" **Kyuubi asked rhetorically.

Naruto chose to remain silent and instead looked at the ground with a scowl. He did not remain that way for long though, as a certain heiress hauled him to his feet and began leading him down the road.

"Whoa! N-Nata-chan! What are you doing?" Naruto asked, a scarlet blush on his face as the girl led him down the streets by his hand.

"We're genin now!" she responded, not looking back because her face was burning crimson as well, "And I say we should go and celebrate with some Ichiraku,"

NAruto stumbled in surprise, but soon his face lit up with a bright smile. Firmly gripping Hinata's hand, the blond dashed in front of her and led the way, "Let's go then!" he shouted joyously.

**Training field 13**

While Naruto and Hinata had gone to Ichiraku's one red-eyed teenager was taking his frustrations out on various boulders and training posts, and by the look of destroyed rocks and pieces of wood, he had quite a bit of frustration to vent.

Crying out with rage, Doku smashed the wooden post to splinters with a final punch. Ignoring the various splinters that bounced off his tanned and muscled form, the Tsuuro shook his gloved hand, getting rid of the slight stinging sensation in his fingers. Glancing at the debris around him, Doku scowled, "Huh, destroyed a lot less than usual," he muttered.

Five years ago, Doku stepped out of the hospital and dedicated almost every moment of his waking life to training and because of that, he had become the strongest of his class in terms of raw physical power. Yet it seemed all his training was for nothing.

Growling, Doku stamped his brown booted foot in fury, causing the ground to crater slightly. He couldn't believe it! He'd trained till he dropped for the past FIVE YEARS and he was denied genin rank because of ONE messed up jutsu! He didn't even know why the clone had come out as badly as it did, or why there was only one! Just yesterday he had been able to make two of them perfectly, but today, some sick looking… thing had appeared!

Roaring in frustration, Doku grabbed a nearby bouder and chucked the thing high into the air, despite it being twice his weight. Waiting in a squatted position, Doku waited for it to come back, then, when it was within reach, the angry child swung his head forward and shattered the large stone with a mighty headbutt.

Releasing a content sigh, Doku closed his eyes and ignored the small stream of blood that poured down his face.

"I'm glad to see you're dealing with this well," a voice stated behind him.

Doku merely grunted and wiped the blood away before turning around. He soon wished he hadn't though.

"Yo," Mizuki greeted his former student, a casual smile on his face. The smile vanished however when his student merely grunted in response and began tearing the landscape apart again. "Oi! I can understand you're mad but why the cold shoulder treatment?" Mizuki asked as he watched Doku break a post in half with a single kick.

"What do you want?" Doku growled as he spun around and glared at his teacher.

"To check on you," Mizuki responded calmly.

"Well I'm fine!" Doku snapped, "Perfectly fine! It's not like I wasn't just humiliated in front of everyone!" Doku began walking towards another boulder, "Not like I just had my entire future shut down before it even began!" he picked up his pace and zeroed in on the boulder, his fist clenched tightly, "It's not like I didn't waste five years of my life, only to fail, because of some stupid fluke!" Doku roared before smashing the rock with a wild swing.

The rock shattered into thousands of pebbles, leaving a panting Doku glaring angrily into the rubble. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned to see Mizuki giving him a warm smile, "That training wasn't for nothing Doku-kun, just look at yourself," he said soothingly, "You're not the same little brat that threw Naruto through the door you know,"

It was true; Doku had grown considerably from when he was a child. He was the tallest in his class, only half a head shorter than Mizuki himself. His training had also made him very muscular, but not overly so and left him with a deep tan. He had log since grown out of all his old clothes, even the old leather boots he had found, and now wore a white shirt, fingerless black gloves, a pair of brown baggy shorts and some black boots. The only notable thing about his clothes was the kanji for Strength written in black on his back.

"Then why?! Why the hell did I fail?!" Doku roared in frustration, "I worked so hard!" Yanking off his right glove Doku presented his fist to his teacher, and what the chuunin saw surprised him.

Doku's hand was covered in scars, calluses and bruises. Those kinds of marks did not belong on an academy student. "I've worked my fingers to the bone!" Doku declared.

Mizuki nodded in acknowledgment of the boy's hard work, "True, you are the best in the class when it came to pure physical ability, you only come behind in regards of speed and weaponry," he praised, "However," here Mizukie leveled a serious stare at Doku. "There is more to a shinobi than physical prowess," Doku frowned as his teacher continued, "A shinobi must be adept in his use of ninjutsu and knowledge, which you, Doku, are lacking in,"

"But I-" the boy tried to protest.

"No buts! Your ninjutsu needs work, you have poor chakra control, and your grades are the poorest in the class!" Mizuki interrupted harshly "We cannot let a potential genin take on vital missions with that kind of record,"

Doku wanted to scream at that, but he decided to hold his tongue. He'd vent his frustrations later. He'd probably be visiting the hospital about his hands… again…

"However"

Doku was pulled from his thoughts as Mizuki started to speak again.

"There is still a way for you to become a genin,"

Surprise opely made itself known on Doku's face as he heard those words.

"There is a way for failed students to become genin, a make up exam if you will," Mizuki spoke, lazily watching as Doku hung on every word, "It's a bit old and out of date, but there are instances where it's used,"

"What is it?!" Doku demanded.

"I don't know if I should even be telling you this," Mizuki admitted, "I don't even think you'd be able to do it,"

Doku's eyes narrowed as he took an aggressive step forward, "Try me," he growled.

'_Hook, line and sinker'_ Mizuki thought smugly, outwardly though, he appeared to resign to the Tsuuro, "Ok, ok, the exam goes something like this,"

As Mizuki explained the "exam" to Doku, neither male noticed the figure watching them in the trees. When Mizuki had finished, the figure vanished.

**Night, a clearing in a forest**

Doku panted slightly as he landed in the clearing, a very large scroll tucked under his left arm. Grinning to himself, Doku smirked in triumph over his accomplishment, "That was way too easy," he chuckled as he shifted the gigantic scroll in his grasp. "Now… let's take a look and see what there is to learn," Doku muttered to himself as he sat down and opened the scroll.

Inside the scroll hundreds, upon hundreds of jutsu, all with descriptions and how to perform them, but what Doku did not realize, is that these were forbidden techniques, Doku also did not realize just what he had done in stealing what he thought to be a simple scroll.

Doku had stolen it from the Hokage's residence, but that paled in comparison to what he stole.

He had stolen the Scroll of Seals, the forbidden scroll.

It had actually been quite easy for Doku. He'd waited till night, then, when he was positive the cost was clear, he had dashed to the nearest door, intent on breaking it down, but to his great surprise, the door had been unlocked. Then, Doku had crept through the mansion until he came upon a room that, again to his surprise and good luck, was labeled scroll library. Finding the door once again unlocked, Doku had gone in and found a room stacked from floor to ceiling with shelves stuffed with scrolls. He had thought it would take him forever to find the scroll. Imagine his surprise when he saw it sitting on a pedestal, clearly labeled and ready for the taking.

Doku couldn't believe how easy it had been!

The only hard part about the entire thing had been when he accidently ran into the hokage.

"And he's supposed to be the strongest?" Doku snorted as he remembered how he had taken down the old shinobi. "Never underestimate the power of the sucker punch," Doku muttered as he continued looking through the jutsu.

'_Come on there has to be at least one good jutsu here'_ Doku thought as he kept skipping over technique after technique. _'Shadow clones? Boring. Resurrection? Too creepy. Self destruct? That's just stupid!' _growing frustrated, the teen was about to just give up when a particular jutsu caught his eye.

"**Tamamono no Asura (Asura's Gift)"** Doku murmured. His eyes widened as he read the description. Smiling to himself, Doku set the scroll down and began practicing the newly found technique.

**Hours later**

"Damn it Doku! Of all the stupid things in the world to do, this has got to be the stupidest!" Naruto growled as he dashed through the trees.

"**How in the name of the gods did he even break into the old man's home?" **Kyuubi wondered aloud.

"Who cares?! That moron cut into my Hinata and ramen time!" Naruto shouted angrily.

The fox merely sweatdropped at his adopted son's comment. _**'Leave it to him to be more furious about that then this'**_ thought the demon.

"What I'm even more pissed about is that Yoku tells us Doku is up to no good then he just vanishes!" Naruto ranted, "He cut into my Hinata-ramen-time too!"

Earlier that day, one Yoku Tsuuro had interrupted Naruto and Hinata in their celebration.

**-Flasback, Ichiraku Ramen-**

Naruto and Hinata were having a grand time, the both of them happily conversing and eating ramen. They were having a grand old time, and were currently discussing team placements.

"So who's team do you think you'll end up on?" Hinata asked politely, daintily eating her noodles in an elegant and refined manner.

Slurping up his noodles loudly, Naruto devoured the food before answering his friend, "Hopefully I'll end up on yours!" Naruto said cheerily, causing the Hyuuga to blush. "But if I had to guess? I'll probably end up on a team with the Uchiha," Naruto stated nonchalantly.

"O-Oh, um, what makes you say that?" a slightly flustered Hinata asked. _'He wants to be on the same team as me? Does this mean that he might l-lo-like me more than as a friend?'_ she thought.

"Mmhmm," the boy hummed, "Guy is one of the best, and since I'm the worst, they'll probably put us together to "even out" the teams or something," he shrugged, "Though I have no idea who my third teammate will be. Maybe it'll be Ino or Chouji or something," he mused.

"Ah, I-I'm pretty sure that neither Chouji or Ino will be on your team, in fact, I believe those two plus Shikamaru will be put on a team,"

Naruto turned to Hinata at that, "Really? What makes you say so?" Naruto asked.

"Because they are to be the new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho," a calm voice answered, startling both genin. They whirled around and to their surprise, there stood Yoku Tsuuro.

The years had done little to change Yoku, if only mentally. Rather, it was more like his body was catching up to his mind. For example, his body had a lean frame, his figure standing straight and tall. He still had the same piercing gray eyes and still had the same short brown hair, which was kept from obscuring his vision by a black Konoha headband. He had pale skin, but not in a way that was unhealthy. If it were not for what he wore, Yoku would look like royalty.

As it was, Yoku was garbed in very simple clothing. He wore a dark brown jacket with a loose hood over a dark red shirt along with black pants and matching black shinobi sandals. The only other things he wore were pieces of tape around the ends of his index and middle fingers and thumbs on both hands.

Finishing his look was a bow and quiver full of arrows all slung securely over his back.

"Gah! Don't sneak up on people like that!" Naruto shouted, "You'll give them a heart attack," he finished in an annoyed mutter as he took his seat gain.

"Ah, h-hello Yoku-kun," Hinata greeted warmly, still slightly startled by the teenager's entrance.

"Good afternoon to you, Hinata-san," Yoku greeted kindly.

"So! What brings you here Yoku? Did you find Doku?" Naruto asked, slurping up some noodles.

"In a sense I have," Yoku answered, "Hinata, I'm sorry but I need to borrow Naruto for a minute,"

"Eh? What for?" Naruto asked.

"A private matter," was the sharp answer. Naruto wanted to protest, but he saw the look in his friend's eyes. Grumbling to himself, the blond stood up and followed Yoku outside.

The two ducked into an alley, and when it was deemed safe to speak, Naruto asked, "So what the hell has that moron done this time?"

"It's not what he's done, it's what he's about to do," Yoku answered. Naruto raised a brow but kept silent. Yoku rarely wasted time.

"I saw him talking with Mizuki,"

Naruto tensed slightly at that. While he couldn't prove it, the guy set the blond on edge. He didn't trust him, and neither did his demonic tenant. "What did you hear?"

Yoku frowned as he leaned against the alley wall, "Mizuki said it was a make up exam, a way for Doku to make up for his failure,"

"**I don't like the sound of that,"** Kyuubi growled.

'_Neither do I'_ thought the Uzumaki with a scowl, "What does Doku have to do?"

Yoku looked Naruto in the eye and stated simply, "Steal the forbidden scroll from the Hokage's mansion,"

**-End Flashback-**

"I still don't understand how we couldn't find him until now!" Naruto growled in frustration.

"**Calm yourself my son," **Kyuubi soothed, **"You have come far in my teachings, but even a veteran tracker would have trouble following that scent,"**

"Why the hell was he even doing at the hot springs? Peeping again!? Gah! Then he goes across town to that… that… nightmare forest! Then the Hyuuga compound, then the Uchiha and why did he go all the way to the top of the Monument?!" Naruto nearly howled. Inhaling sharply, Naruto's eyes nerely burst into flames as he caught the scent of his quarry, "Oh, your MINE Doku!"

The target in question was panting heavily, but the grin on his face could not be removed. He'd done it. He'd learned the jutsu. _'And just in time'_ he thought as he heard the crashing of leaves. _'Man I can't wait to see the look on Mizuki-sensei's face when I show him my awes-' _Doku was cut off from thinking anymore when he was spear tackled by a blond and orange blur.

"OW! What the hell?! Naruto what the hell are you doing?" Doku demanded as he slowly got up and glared at the jinchuuriki.

"What am I doing?!" Naruto exclaimed, "I'm not the moron who went and stole from the hokage!"

"It's part of my make up exam you idiot!" Doku stated as he got up.

"What make up exam involves stealing from the most powerful ninja in the village?!" Naruto demanded.

"A tough one! Now if you'll kindly get lost so I don't fail, I'll see you-" However the boy tensed as his heightened combat senses went off. Grabbing the scroll, Doku dodged to the side while Naruto jumped back, a giant shuriken burying itself where he once stood.

"Jeez! What the hell?" Doku shouted looking around wildly for the attacker.

"Sorry Doku, but there was no way I was going to let HIM get his hands on the scroll," a voice said as it dropped in front of the Tsuuro and glared at the crouched Uzumaki, "Now, hand me the scroll and I'll give you your headband,"

Before Doku could act Naruto interrupted, "Don't even think about it Doku! You know Miuki is up to something, the guy has always been up to something,"

"Doku don't listen to him," Mizuki snapped, scowling at the blond, "That demon has never been any good and tonight…" he grinned wickedly, "Tonight I kill the Kyuubi!" he exclaimed.

Doku gawked at the back of the man as he unstrapped another giant shuriken from his back, "What?" he shouted dumbly, the scroll tucked under his arm.

"It's a secret, but I don't see why I shouldn't explain," Mizuki stated as he stared Naruto down, a sick grin on his face as he watched Naruto's anger slowly begin to rise, "Ya see, almost fifteen years ago today, the Kyuubi attacked, course you know how we say it was defeated by the Yondaime?"

Doku narrowed his eyes at this. He knew the story.

"Well the question of how was never answered! The Kyuubi was sealed!" Mizuki crowed, a maniacal light entering his eye, "Where?! Inside one Naruto Uzum-" he didn't finish because he was immediately eating dirt.

Reaching a hand to the back of his head, the silver haired man looked up to see Doku and Naruto glaring at him.

"I know," Doku stated as he tossed the scroll over to Naruto, "Naruto told me the day after I got back from the hospital,"

Mizuki looked surprised but then scowled "And you're still helping him?!" he snarled.

"What do you think dumbass?" Doku asked as he smirked at Naruto, "Well bud, how you want to do this?"

Naruto grinned, "I say we run,"

Laughing the two leapt off, leaving a furious Mizuki, who immediately took chase, "YOU BRATS THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE ME?! TONIGHT, I KILL A DEMON AND A TRAITOR!" he screamed as he tore after them.

"The only traitor here is you, scumbag!" Naruto called back as he hurled a smoke bomb at the man. Mizuki merely charged through, his eyes still locked onto the two boys.

"Enough of this!" barked the chuunin. Reaching behind him, he grabbed another giant shuriken. Locking onto his target, the silver haired man let it fly. The giant metal weapon, sliced through the air and made a beeline straight for Doku. His grin at nailing one of the brats turned to surprise when it just passed straight through him.

'_What?! A clone? Then where-' _the traitor's thoughts were cut short when his vision exploded into black spots and pain. The man went sailing for several meters before slamming harshly into the ground and sliding for another few feet. Mizuku tried to moan in pain, but it came out as a gurgle since his mouth had filled with blood and it seemed his jaw was broken. Looking through bleary eyes, he could just make out a figure with a massive upper body. _'The hell hit?'_ he thought, his ears were wringing but he could tell Naruto had appeared as well, standing next to the hulking mass that soon diminished in size.

"Wow," Naruto whistled as he saw the broken form of Mizuki, "What the hell kind of jutsu was that?" he asked as he turned around to look at Doku, whose entire physique seemed to have doubled in size with pure muscle.

"**Tamamono no Asura (Asura's Gift)" **, Doku replied as his muscles seemed to deflate back to their normal size, "Learned it from the scroll before you guys arrived,"

"You learned a whole jutsu in that short of time?" Naruto asked, slightly disbelieving.

Doku shrugged a bit and then rolled his shoulders, getting rid of the odd sensation in his arms, "It really wasn't that hard," he stated, "You just make some handsigns then flood your muscles with chakra… least that's what I got from the scroll,"

"**There is no way that jutsu is that simple," **Kyuubi muttered from within his cage as he watched the events. However through his tenant's shared hearing, the fox heard a strange sound. Something… disturbing, **"Naruto! Behind you!"**

Whirling around, Naruto looked on in astonishment as the broken form of Mizuki was now standing… and changing.

The chuunin became larger, his clothes ripping apart as he grew larger and larger. Orange fur sprouted over him along with black stripes while his wounds healed almost instantly. Standing on two fee, the half tiger Mizuki roared at the two teenagers, but what scared the two more was that they had seen this thing before.

"Holy shit," Doku breathed, taking an involuntary step back.

"Doku," Naruto whispered.

"Yeah?"

"RUN!" screamed the blond, the beast man roaring in response as the boys fled from it. Mizuki snarled and took off after them, crashing through the forest and gaining on his prey.

"Naruto! Got any ideas?" Doku asked his friend as they ran.

"Not really! Give me a bit!" Naruto replied.

Doku glanced back behind them and saw Mizuki slowly but surely gaining on them, "Well think quickly!"

They ran a bit more before Naruto finally said, "Ok! On my mark, we turn around and rush him!"

"That's your brilliant idea?" Doku shouted.

"Just do it! He won't see it coming!"

"Fine!"

"Ok… One, two, three!" the boys whirled around, but as soon as they did, two slender arrows appeared in Mizuki's throat, stopping him dead in his tracks. The hybrid fell to the side, body limp and eyes showing shock and pain.

"Sorry I'm late," a voice called from the trees.

Surprised the two looked up and saw none other than their friend and brother Yoku Tsuuro, bow in hand and a neutral look on his face. Hopping from his perch, the grey eyed boy landed silently on the ground and walked over to his friends.

"oh what the hell?" Doku asked with a grin, "Why you gotta act like the big hero, jumping in and acting like that huh? We could have needed you earlier you know!"

Yoku merely rolled his eyes, smiling slighty as he replied, "I needed to see the hokage first, someone had to explain you were being set up," walking over to the limp form of Mizuki Yoku frowned as he inspected the body, "I had my suspicions about Mizuki and this…,"

"Surprised the hell out of us too," Naruto stated, "So how much trouble are we in?"

Yoku actually smiled widely as he turned back to his friends, "I actually have good news, and, a gift," reaching into his pocket, Yoku withdrew a length of cloth and threw it at Doku, as his brother caught it, Yoku began speaking, "For your services in protecting the village and in showing your prowess as a shinobi, the hokage would like to congratulate you,"

Looking at the gift in reverence, Doku barely heard his brother's next words.

"Doku Tsuuro, genin of Konohagakure,"

Doku clutched the headband in his hands tightly, his head bowed. Then, with a shout of triumph, he swung his fists into the air, "YES!" he shouted in triumph. The man then began to celebrate, boasting his accomplishment and tying the headband securely around his head, his messy hair being forced up in the process.

Yoku chuckled, "Alright, alright, but you two better get that scroll back to the hokage," he stated.

"Right! See you at home for celebrations?" Naruto asked.

Yoku merely chuckled and nodded. He watched as the two left the forest and when he was sure they were gone, he turned back to Mizuki. Scowling darkly, the genin ripped the arrows out of his target's neck and watched as he gasped for air.

"Argh! Ah… you… bastard," Mizuki wheezed, glaring up at Yoku from the side of his eyes. He had landed face down, but that didn't stop him from glaring at the genin "When… I get… up… you're-"

"Shut up," Yoku snapped coldly as he kicked the chunin over, "You won't be doing anything Mizuki," Yoku stated coldly as he stood over the man's prone form, "Five years… I've waited five years for this day…"

"What?" Mizuki panted,, "What…. Are you… talking…"

"Don't play stupid," Yoku warned, his voice deadly calm "Five years ago Doku, Naruto and I were attacked by a hybrid creature, one that was a mixture of man and tiger, Doku was nearly murdered that day," Yoku stepped over the man and promptly sat on the still transformed Mizuki's large chest, causing Mizuki to let out a wheeze of pain, "That night… I vowed to get revenge on the creature that nearly took my family away,"

Mizuki's eyes widened fractionally. There was no way this kid could have known it was him! Not back then.

"You know it's funny," Yoku stated as he casually pulled a kunai out from inside his sleeve, "You're the entire reason I'm the shinobi I am today," inspecting the blade, "See, I knew I could never take you on in a straight fight, not with this little transforming act of yours, so I took other routes," he continued talking, "I grabbed whatever I could get my hands on in regards to the human anatomy, because I wanted to make sure that you died when I found you," Mizuki's eyes took on an uncomfortable feel as he heard that, "Then I started studying tactics, ways that I could defeat you, capture you," Yoku dragged a nail against the blade slowly, "Then I started learning about tells, learning to read what's underneath the surface, so I could find you among the regular people," he spun the knife around in his hand, the handle now facing him and the point now facing Mizuki, "Then I took up the bow and spent a lot of time shooting those mannequins," he paused, "Every arrow I shot, every kunai launched, every shuriken thrown, every time I heard that soft thud of my projectile piercing that practice dummy… I imagined it was you," he slowly stood up, "I imagined that it wasn't wicker being pierced, but flesh," he "I imagined that it was your heart being pierced," the boy walked away and towards Mizuki's head, the chuunin following his movement fearfully, "I imagined that instead of the wooden post, it was your spine,"

"Wait… please… I…" Mizuki wheezed as Yoku slowly kneeled down towards his face, those cold grey eyes boring into Mizuki's own fearful black.

"I always replaced the dummy's eyes with yours, but it never satisfied me," Yoku continued, not caring for the man's pleas, "All those targets, those supposed instant kills… I didn't feel they were… personal enough,"

"You can't do this," Mizuki whispered.

"Then I realized something," Yoku stated, staring at Mizuki the knife above his head ready to strike. A slow and sinister smile worked it's way onto his face.

"They were too far away,"

With that, Yoku brought the kunai down, and thus ended the life of Mizuki, traitor to the village hidden in the leaves.

**A/N: And finished! Hope you guys enjoyed this and yes, I realize it may not be as long as you wanted, but I felt that it's been FAR too long since I updated… and it has. Anyway, be sure to leave me a review and if you like this feel free to check out my other work.**

**Ja ne.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A Warrior, An archer and a Fox: Rewritten**

"Regular speech"

'_Regular thought'_

"**Demon/ Summons/ Inner Speaking"**

'_**Demon/Summons thinking'**_

**A/N: Hello everyone! Well thank you for the reviews and I've got things planned out, but let me respond to a couple of reviews…**

**Thanks! I know the difference between you're and your, and I try hard not to mix them up because it is one of my pet peeves, but sometimes they fall through the gaps. I really have to review these things more closely before posting. Hmm… maybe I need a beta reader? **

**Yes I know Yoku was… dark, but oh, the dark secret the Tsuuros have… It's almost too juicy to keep to myself!**

**And how did Yoku know? Well… You'll see… I guess it's not too great a secret if you think hard enough about it.**

**Anyway! On with the show!**

"I suppose you are all wondering why I've gathered you here," the Hokage stated as he puffed away on his pipe. The old man had a serious look on his face as he observed the three people in front of him. Truly it was an odd group to have called together, especially at this time of night.

"Well, if you'll pardon the disrespect, I'm very confused as to why you called me here at this hour Hokage-sama," Iruka stated, stifling a yawn. The chuunin had been sound asleep in his home when an ANBU had appeared at his door saying he was needed at the Hokage's tower immediately.

"I assume it has something to do with the recent theft of the forbidden scroll," spoke a muffled feminine voice. Hiruzen flicked his gaze over to who had spoken. It was a female ANBU member with a cat mask and long purple hair. She wore the standard gear of most Anbu, but the only difference was that she had a sword with her.

"Indeed it does Neko," the old man mumbled, ignoring Iruka's shocked look.

"W-Wait, what?" the chuunin exclaimed, "The scroll was stolen?! How, when, why? Shouldn't an alarm have been raised or-"

"Maa, maa, calm down Iruka-san," spoke the final member of the group in a lazy tone. He was a masked man whose only visible feature was his left eye, while a Konoha headband covered up his right. He had gravity defying gray hair and was dressed in the standard garb of most jounin, "The scroll's fine now, it was returned by some of our newest genin,"

"Eh? Genin? Which ones?"" Iruka asked, now intrigued.

"I believe it was the Uzumaki and the Tsuuros," Kakashi answered nonchalantly, much to Iruka's shock.

"Indeed, it was those three boys, they even defeated the traitor who intended to make off with it," Sarutobi stated.

"Hold up!" Iruka said holding up a hand and looking confused, "Who exactly was the traitor?"

"Mizuki,"

"WHAT?! Why would- How- I mean- MIZUKI?!" Iruka spluttered. Pinching the bridge of his nose and inhaling deeply, the chuunin calmed down, "Ok, can someone please explain this? From the beginning please?"

"Neko, please report," the leader of the leaf village stated, waving to the only female present.

The masked woman nodded and began her report, "The day started out as any other in the Tsuuro household, all three objectives were inside their home, preparing to leave for the academy,"

"Hold up," Iruka interrupted, "What do you mean by objectives, Neko-san?" he questioned the cat masked ANBU.

"Neko along with two others have been assigned to watch over a boy each," the hokage spoke, "Neko was charged with Yoku,"

"You assigned ANBU to watch over three boys?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"It was a safety precaution against any problems that may involve the three," Sarutobi answered calmly.

"Why on earth would you need ANBU to watch over three kids?" Iruka asked, confusion written all over his face.

"Because those boys aren't like other children," Hiruzen answered lowly.

Iruka frowned at his leader's statement, but he could not deny the truth in his words.

"Neko, if you would continue," Hiruzen said with a wave towards the purple haired woman.

Neko nodded and continued her report, "The trip to the academy went by undisturbed as did the testing. However, when it was Doku's turn to test his ninjutsu, there was an anomaly. Instead of creating three clones that Doku has been able to do before, he produced one sickly looking abomination that did not last for long," Neko paused to catch her breath, "Understandably, Doku Tsuuro failed his exam,"

Iruka grimaced; the face that Doku had made was something that tugged at his heartstrings. He'd been so excited, so eager when he came in. He poured all he could into that simple technique and had been as shocked and disappointed as his teachers when that sickly thing poofed into existence. When Iruka told him he had failed, Doku was shocked, that shock then turned to anguish and was quickly masked with a blank face, but the silent fury could not be hidden in those smoldering red eyes.

"Doku Tsuuro left the academy, Hebi following him as expected," Neko continued, "Shortly after, Yoku was called and passed his exam. Immediately Yoku took off, but instead of going after his brother, I followed him back to his shared residence. Yoku did not stay long and left the apartment with a bag full of what I later learned was Doku's dirty laundry,"

"Laundry? Now that is very curious," Kakashi murmured.

"Just keep listening Kakashi, it gets better," the Hokage said, his voice tinged with the smallest hint of amusement.

"Yoku then proceeded towards Doku's location via rooftop and as he went, would take a piece of Doku's dirty clothing, tie it to an arrow then shoot it in seemingly random directions,"

"That explains the pair of boxers that crashed through my window," Kakashi stated in a deadpan.

"When Yoku arrived at Doku's usual training ground, he stayed out of sight and listened in on the conversation between Doku and Mizuki. After the conversation had ended, Yoku went in search of Naruto, and after finding him and Hinata at Ichiraku's Ramen, he privately told what he had overheard to the Uzumaki.

Naruto took off in search of Doku, but spent many hours racing all across the village,"

"Eh? Why would Naruto search the entire village for him?" Iruka asked slightly confused, "He's never had problems finding people before,"

"Because Doku's scent was everywhere," Kakshi answered simply, interrupting any response from Neko or the Hokage, "Yoku had left Doku's scent all over the village with that dirty laundry archery trick,"

"That's it exactly Kakashi," Hiruzen spoke, surprising Iruka.

"But why? Why wouldn't Yoku want Naruto to find Doku immediately?" Iruka asked. None of this made sense to the academy teacher.

"Keep Listening Iruka," Hiruzen answered, gesturing for Neko to proceed.

"I followed Yoku to the Hokage tower, where he watched and waited for Hokage-sama to leave the tower back to the hokage residence. Yoku followed Hokage-sama and waited another hour before he moved into action," here Neko paused for a moment, "Hokage-sama if I may speak freely for a moment?" she asked.

"Granted," the elderly leader allowed.

"Yoku Tsuuro is beyond the rank of a simple genin," with that said she proceeded with her report, "Yoku Tsuuro then proceeded to break into the hokage residence, unlocking every door and avoiding all security. Upon reaching the library, Yoku proceeded to quickly locate the Forbidden scroll and disarm all security seals around it. Having done that, he left it on a podium and created several genjutsu that not only hid him, but labeled both the library and the scroll. It was shortly after utilizing these genjutsu that Doku Tsuuro appeared and stole the scroll. Hokage-sama caught Doku red handed, but was struck down by a preemptive strike from Doku,"

"Doku nailed you with a sucker punch?" Iruka asked his leader with disbelief. The old man merely grumbled and looked away from the chuunin in embarrassment.

"Doku fled the scene, but Yoku dispelled the genjutsu and waited for Hokage-sama to awaken," Neko continued undeterred, "Once he did, Yoku told him that Doku had been tricked by Mizuki into stealing the scroll under the guise of a make-up exam and how he and Naruto had been trying to stop Doku. Persuading Hokage-sama not to raise the alarm, Yoku asked that, should he, Doku, and Naruto stop Mizuki, that Doku be absolved of his mistake and made into a genin. The hokage agreed, but issued an hour for Yoku to complete his task. Yoku raced after his brother and soon found his brother and Uzumaki fighting Mizuki. The two had already seemed to have defeated Mizuki when Yoku arrived and it seems Doku has acquired a forbidden jutsu as well, according to Hebi,"

"However, Mizuki appeared to have gained a justu that allowed him to change his physical form into a hybrid of a tiger and man. Acting quickly, Yoku shot two arrows into Mizuki's neck, effectively stopping him and, in the process, making his brother a genin," Neko paused, making Iruka think that was the end of the tale.

"Wow… all of that just to get his brother into the shinobi corps," Iruka muttered. He knew Yoku was smart, but this… this was something else! He was impressed with his student, but confused as to how he knew his brother would fail. Though he was surprised Yoku had killed Mizuki, he supposed out of all the hopefuls in his class, it was Yoku who would be among the first to do so.

"There's more isn't there?" Kakashi asked, snatching Iruka's attention immediately.

"More? What do you mean more? What more could there possibly be?" Iruka asked.

There was silence as the Hokage slowly opened his desk drawer and retrieved a small glass orb, "I believe that this is the best way to explain," the hokage stated as he quickly went through several handsigns. Immediately, the orb glowed before revealing the frozen image of Naruto, Yoku and Doku standing over a defeated and transformed Mizuki, "I had been watching Yoku through this once he left to find Doku," Hiruzen explained, "I will warn you now, what you are about to see is very shocking,"

Waving a hand over the orb, Hiruzen brought the frozen mages to life. The gathered ninja watched with rapt attention and listened with careful ears, as the orb was able to allow audio as well as video. They smiled slightly when Doku celebrated and watched as both Naruto and Doku left, but the orb still stayed focused on Yoku and Mizuki.

They watched as Yoku approached the seemingly dead Mizuki, and half of them were surprised when Yoku ripped the arrows out and Mizuki came to life. They listened to Yoku speak and realized a very frightening thing.

Yoku had been planning this for years.

The old shinobi waved his hand and the image in the crystal ball soon faded away. Hiruzen sat back in his chair as he watched Kakashi and Iruka absorb the information.

Glancing at Kakashi, the hokage noted that he was deep in thought. Iruka on the other hand was very obviously flabbergasted.

The chuunin just could not, WOULD NOT, believe his student was capable of this. "This is… There's just… How? Why? When?" he asked desperate for answers. Out of all his students, those three had been his favorite and to see one of them kill, no, MURDER someone like that… "What drove him to murder Mizuki?" Iruka finally asked.

"In all technicality it was not murder," Neko stated, "Any and all traitors to the leaf are to be eliminated," she said simply.

"How can you justify this?!" Iruka nearly shouted, "Yoku PLANNED this, he planned on MURDERING Mizuki! A fellow shinobi!"

"The same shinobi that nearly murdered his brother," Kakashi spoke up.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Iruka shouted this time.

"Iruka, calm yourself," Hiruzen ordered the chuunin with a stern stare, "While it may be true that Yoku had planned this long before Mizuki turned traitor, the fact is we cannot punish him for doing his duty as a ninja," he stopped Iruka from protesting again by raising a hand, "I know how you feel Iruka, but I did not call you all here to discuss the ethics of Yoku's actions,"

"Then why did you call us here?" Kakashi asked, actually interested for once in his life.

The hokage stood and walked over to a filing cabinet behind his desk. Pulling several folders from it, he set them on his desk and turned his attention back to his subordinates; "The reason I've called you all here is because I believe we have vastly underestimated the abilities of this year's genin,"

Picking up Yoku's folder he held it before the others, "Yoku is a prime example of what I'm talking about," he started, "No simple genin should have been able to plan something like this, nor the skills to pull it off flawlessly,"

"But Hokage-sama, the teams have already been submitted," Iruka stated, "Surely we can't just reassign everyone, right?"

"True enough Iruka-kun," the hokage conceded, "However, with Doku now added on to the roster, our list of genin has two left over shinobi instead of one and the balance between teams has been… shifted,"

"So you want us to help you create teams?" Kakashi asked, "I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but I fail to see how this requires our specific attention,"

"That's where you're wrong," the Sandaime stated, "You three are exactly who I need," reclaiming his seat, the hokage spoke, "Iruka you know these students better than anyone and would know which teams they would serve best on while you, Kakashi, have a special claim on two of them, one out of necessity, the other out of desire,"

The two males could only nod in acceptance of that. What the hokage said was true, but that didn't explain-

"Pardon me Hokage-sama, but why is it that I am here then?" Neko asked politely.

"Ah yes, Neko-san, I have a very important question for you," the hokage stated cryptically, his elbows coming to rest on the desk as his fingers laced together in front of his face.

"Neko, how would you feel about having an apprentice?"

**The next morning**

Yoku awoke slowly, his bleary eyes taking in his dark bedroom while his mind contemplated the dream he had. _'Mizuki's dead now, so why does he still appear in my subconscious?'_ wondered the genin. Dragging a hand down his face, the Tsuuro banished the thoughts from his mind and rose from his bed.

Yoku's room was a slightly odd one. For the most part, it had very little in it in regards to decorations and was almost always kept dark. Light came in from either between the blinds of his window shades or the desk lamp he had.

That was probably the oddest thing in the room. Were it not for the fact that it had a closet and bed, one would almost believe the place to be a small library or a frequently used study, if the many papers and open books on the desk were anything to go by. The desk was set at the very back of the room, right across from the doorway and was flanked on either sides by tall bookcases jammed full of various scrolls and tomes. Above the desk was a large bulletin board that was decorated with dozens of notes, designs and other things of that nature.

'_One of these days I really must clean that desk'_ Yoku thought as he passed it and approached his closet. Getting dressed in his usual clothes, Yoku walked out of his room and quietly crept past his brother's room. Though why he bothered to be quiet when his brother's snores drowned out everything else, Yoku would never know.

Entering the small kitchenette slash living room area the grey-eyed boy noticed that Naruto had already been and gone, due to the single set of dishes on the table. Glancing outside, Yoku noted that the sun had only just risen past the horizon; meaning Naruto had probably woken up an hour before the sun rose or just as it was rising.

"That boy and his habits," muttered Yoku as he went over to the fridge and pulled ingredients out to make breakfast, "I wonder what he's up to this time," he wondered, but then shook his head and chuckled softly. Despite his reserved and secretive nature, Yoku could not hold a candle to the enigma that was Naruto's mind.

As he went back to his usual task of creating breakfast for himself and his brother, he heard the unmistakable 'thump' and cry of surprise as Doku had rolled out of his bed once again. Yoku laughed at that, if it wasn't Naruto pranking him awake, Doku always woke up like that.

Doku grumbled as he slammed his door open, one fist rubbing his eyes while the other stretched above his head in an attempt to wake the rest of his body up. Shuffling into the kitchen, the boy flopped into a chair and slammed his head onto the table. Yoku just rolled his eyes as he finished the meal he had been preparing and set it on the table before his brother along with a mug of freshly brewed coffee.

Mechanically, Doku's hand came up and grabbed the mug, dragging it across the table to his head. Raising the mug, Doku threw his head back and chugged the burning black liquid. Finishing, he slammed the mug back down, smacked his lips, blinked twice and finally gave a loud yawn, "Mornin' Yoku," he mumbled after his yawn, his large hands deftly grabbing his utensils, "Naruto gone?" he asked.

Glancing at his brother, he chuckled to himself as he saw that Naruto had left his handiwork all over his brother's face, "Yes, but I think I know where he went,"

Doku cocked an eyebrow at that, "How?" he asked.

Yoku chuckled as he pointed at Doku's face, "He left a note,"

Doku stared at his brother for a minute before slowly getting up from his chair and walking to the bathroom. Yoku laughed silently as he got up and opened the front door before standing back and waiting.

He didn't have to wait long.

"DAMN IT NARUTO, I'M GOING TO MURDER YOU!" Doku roared as he came stampeding out of the bathroom, the message telling them to "Look at Monument" still etched over his face. Racing past his brother, Doku shot off towards the Hokage monument, which had been completely covered in graffiti.

Each face had been specially defaced. The Shodaime Hokage's eyes had been painted to look like acorns with twig and leaf mustache. On the First's face was a message that said "Ask me about my Oak"

The Nidaime was a little better than his brother. Basically, he had turned into a fish man with painted tears pouring from his eyes and gigantic fish lips. He didn't have a message on his face, but that was probably for the best.

The Sandaime was decorated to look like a monkey, except Naruto had gone out of his way to draw in all of the old leader's wrinkles along with a bloody nose. Tattooed on his cheek were the words 'Icha Icha: Retirement'.

Yoku shuddered slightly at that. Doku had gotten a hold of a copy of one of those Icha Icha books. They were nothing but smut, and the thought of a book featuring the elderly hokage… He shuddered once more.

Finally the Yondaime… The Yondaime merely had a large message written on his stone face, but that message left Yoku laughing long and hard. This is what it said.

"History heralded him as the fastest shinobi in the world, thus they named him The Yellow Flash… Ironically, the ladies in the Red Light district just called him 'The Flash'"

As Yoku finished laughing he looked up with a grin and spotted with his perfect eyesight the from of his blond friend racing across the rooftop, paint buckets in one hand and large paintbrushes strapped to his back. Closely following the jinchuuriki was the ANBU and trailing behind them was his brother.

Yoku blinked as he saw his brother before bringing a hand to his eyes in embarrassment for his twin, "Once again brother, you have forgotten to put on clothes before chasing that fox,"

Shaking his head, Yoku leapt off after them. Today promised to be a very long day….

**Later at the academy**

"Naruto Uzumaki, what have I said about pranks?" Hinata scolded her friend, a cute frown on her face as she stood above the sheepishly grinning Uzumaki.

"Aw come on Hinata, it wasn't that bad…" he defended weakly.

"You defaced the Hokage Monument!" she said in exasperation, "You turned two of them into perverts, one into a fish and the last one-" here she turned red, too embarrassed to say it. She only turned redder as Naruto laughed, "It's not funny!" she protested.

"Then why was everyone laughing?" Naruto chuckled, a large grin on his face.

Sighing Hinata only shook her head before giving a small smile, "Just don't do it again alright? You're a genin now," she stated.

Naruto smiled at her, "I know, it was just one last prank, a grand finale," at this he stood up and spread his arms out, eyes closed and a gigantic grin on his face, "And what a finale! I, Naruto Uzumaki, painted the entire hokage monument and outran all my chasers!" he boasted then began to laugh arrogantly.

"There you are, you fox faced punk!" roared Doku as he tackled the blond to the floor. The two began tussling, uncaring for the stares their fellow genin were casting them.

"Jeez, why do those two have to be so troublesome?" Shikamaru drawled lazily.

"It's just the way they are unfortunately," Yoku spoke up as he walked past and towards the fighting duo. "Good morning Hinata-san," Yoku greeted.

"M-Morning Yoku-san," she responded, slightly concerned by the fighting duo. Yoku merely glanced at them before sighing. Pulling out Doku's clothes from his quiver, Yoku threw them at the fighting duo, effectively stopping them dead in their tracks.

"Eh? What's this?" Doku asked in confusion as he held up a pair of his shorts.

"You left without clothes again," Yoku answered as he walked off to find a seat.

Doku blinked before looking down at himself, then back at the clothing in his hands. Then he looked down again, this time taking note of the fact that he was only dressed in his boxers and undershirt. Looking one more time at the clothes, it finally clicked for the young man.

"Good Kami that baka is such an embarrassment!" Sakura stated as she watched the muscled boy frantically get dressed.

"Aw come on Forehead, not even you can deny that the bonehead makes good eye candy," Ino stated as she watched Doku.

"What? Going after the Big, strong and dumb ones now Pig?" Sakura asked as she tore her eyes away from Doku. _There is no way in hell that buffoon will ever make good eye candy!'_ she thought.

"Nah, I prefer the strong silent type," Ino stated as she cast a glance over towards Sasuke Uchiha.

"Back off Pig! He's mine!" she declared, seeinf where the blonde's stare was directed.

"You wish, Billboard Brow!" Ino responded, turning to glare at her rival. As the two stared off neither one noticed the two empty seats next to said Uchiha.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke flinched as he saw his two most rabid fan-girls fighting over him again. He hoped beyond hope that they'd leave him alone today, but then he caught sight of the two empty seats next to him. If he had noticed the empty seats, it was only a matter of time before they did.

Eyes scanning the room frantically, Sasuke searched for someone to sit next to him, someone he could actually tolerate. As if answering his prayer, the last Uchiha caught sight of Yoku walking towards the front of the room.

"Oi, Tsuuro," Sasuke called in an even tone.

Yoku turned towards the Uchiha, curiosity flashing through his grey eyes.

"Two open seats right here," Sasuke stated, jerking his head towards the two empty seats next to him. The other genin murmured in surprise at this, they had been listening intently when they heard the Uchiha's call, curious as to what he wanted with Yoku.

Yoku narrowed his eyes questioningly. _'Sasuke prefers his solitude, what would compel him to ask for my company?'_ he wondered. He noticed as the black haired boy's eyes flicked quickly to the right. Following this, Yoku noticed Ino and Sakura out of the corner of his eyes. _'Ah'_ Yoku thought _'That's why'_. Nodding at the Uchiha, Yoku took the seat next to him, ignoring the whispers and staring eyes that followed him.

Sasuke sent the archer a slight nod of gratitude, which Yoku responded to by flicking his fingers across the top of the desk. Both of them were seemingly meaningless and common actions, but the message could not be clearer between the two.

'_Thank you, Yoku Tsuuro'_

'_Think nothing of it, Sasuke Uchiha'_

With that, the two settled in to wait for their teacher to arrive and announce their teams in peace, but sadly, peace would not be allowed.

"Yo!" Doku greeted as he flopped down into the chair next to Yoku, effectively breaking the two solitary teens out of their thoughts, "So what kind of teams you think we'll be on? I'm hoping for an awesome and wickedly strong team with a badass sensei! Or maybe being the only male on a team of babes, how awesome would that be?" Doku asked, oblivious to the stares and growls emanating from the fan-girls who wanted that final seat.

"I doubt that will happen Doku," Yoku stated calmly, "Previous teams have almost always been compromised of two male and one female genin. It is more likely you will end up on a team with all boys than be the only male on a predominantly female team,"

Doku just snorted, still oblivious to the growing anger of the fan-girls, "Bah! Way to kill a man's fantasies," he grumbled, "Come on Yoku, don't you have ANY interest in the teams? Or girls?" he asked before smirking deviously, "Or do you prefer the Uchiha's company?"

That statement sent a new wave of whispers thropugh the crowd and caused many of the fan-girls to turn red from fury at Doku and the images that appeared in their minds at the question. While Sasuke was the most sought after male, Yoku had often been in the fantasies of fan-girls that Sasuke was absent in.

Yoku merely rolled his eyes, "I will have you know that I'm a heterosexual male, and unlike you, have a healthy respect for the female sex," he replied simply.

Doku's eyes went blank as he tried to process his brother's words. After a couple seconds Doku frowned and stated, "Oi! I have a very healthy respect for chicks too!" he declared.

"There is a difference between respect for women and a pervert," Yoku stated simply.

Doku just snorted, "I am not a pervert!" he protested, "My respect for women in as natural and noble as any other man's!" he declared passionately.

Doku's noble status was shattered by Yoku's response, "Noble men do not peek on women at the hot springs,"

Still oblivious to the females and their fury, Doku responded without thinking, "I do not peek! I research!" he yelled, a defense he had used many times when caught by his brother or Naruto.

Yoku smirked as he heard the metaphorical snap that was the collective fan-girls' restraint, "Doku, once again your mouth has outrun your brain," he said sending a wink towards Sasuke.

The Uchiha simply smirked and gave a short hum in acknowledgement.

"Huh?" Doku grunted stupidly, confused as to what they were talking about. He soon figured it out when a hand grabbed the back of his collar. Turning his head, Doku was met with the vengeful figures of every female in the room, and the one grabbing his collar produced a more unholy and intimidating aura than any other.

"Doku…" Sakura growled out lowly, her grip tightening on his shirt. Doku 's eyes widened in surprise and a slight glimmer of what people could only assume was fear entered into his eye.

"And once again Doku is beaten to a bloody pulp by the majority of the female class," Naruto stated wistfully, his hands locked behind the back of his head, "Ne, Hinata-chan? How come you never join on the daily Doku beatings?" the blond asked his friend curiously, curious blue eyes locking onto the lavender tinted whites of his companion.

"Ah, well, um…" Hinata stuttered, thinking quickly for a response to her crush's question. She poked her fingers together nervously, avoiding Naruto's gaze. "I-I don't really think, um, well, I could never really hurt Doku," she answered weakly.

"Eh? Why not? I mean, he's an openly admitted pervert," Naruto inquired. He had long learned from Kyuubi that women, well most women, hate perverts and would often attack them when catching them doing what they classified as "perverted"

Yet Hinata had never shown such inclinations when around Doku, and while she would sometimes scold or admonish the large teen, she never seemed truly bothered by it.

It was something Naruto had wondered for years, and he was intent on getting his answer.

Unfortunately for the blond, Hinata's answer was interrupted by the shouting of a very annoyed chuunin.

"KNOCK IT OFF YOU BRATS!" Iruka roared, making the girls attacking Doku disperse while simultaneously gaining everyone's attention. Iruka shook his head in exasperation before placing a smile on his face, "Well everyone, congratulations on getting this far, you are all now full fledged shinobi of the Leaf," he congratulated his class, "From this day on, you are all adults who will work alongside your fellow genin and jounin sensei for the village," he grew serious for a moment, "Make no mistake though, it only gets harder from here on out, and there will be tough times ahead of you,"

The genin all showed signs of discomfort, from a slight scowl to a nervous clecnching of teeth, the anxiousness of the class was easily seen.

"But," Iruka stated, becoming bright and happy once more, "I couldn't be more proud of you, all of you," bringing a clipboard to his face Iruka coughed to clear his throat, "Now if you'll pay attention, I'll be dividing you into your teams,"

'_This is it'_ thought the genin as they all leaned forward, eager and curious to see who they would be teamed with. All of them had their desires to be with a certain person and they all had had their hopes that they would not end up on the team with a certain person.

"Team 10," Iruka started, "Will consist of Shikamaru Nara, Chouji Akamichi, and Ino Yamanaka,"

"WHAT?!" Ino shouted in disbelief, a look of horror on her face, "I'm on a team with lazy-bones and the bottomless pit?!" Giving a groan of disappointment, Ino slammed her head on top of her desk, her shoulders slumped in defeat and a depressed aura surrounding her.

Iruka ignored the girl and continued, " Team 10's sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi," clearing his throat he continued, "Team 9 is still in rotation, so Team 8 will be comprised of Hinata Hyuuga," at this, the heiress lifted her head, hope and anxiousness shining in her eyes, "Kiba Inuzuka," the dog boy grinned at that. "And Shino Aburame," Shino merely gave an almost invisible nod, not caring for the slight sigh if disappointment he heard escape his female teammate's lips. "Your sensei will be Kurenai Yuuhi,"

Naruto sighed through his nose, disappointed as Hinata was that they wouldn't be on the same team._ 'Well that sucks, but I guess I shouldn't be too surprised'_ he mused.

"**That team would make a very good hunting force," **Kyuubi spoke up, **"Perfect for tracking down and capturing any of their targets,"**

'_Bah! My nose is ten times better than that mutt's! I would have been a MUCH better choice than him'_

Kyuubi merely rolled his eyes, **"You're just mad that you didn't get on the same team as the Hyuuga girl,"** he teased.

Naruto merely grumbled in response to that. **"Oh come now kit, Don't get all bent out of shape. Just because you're not in the same team doesn't mean you won't ever see each other again,"** the fox consoled, **"Besides, absence makes the heart grow fonder,"**

Naruto thought about it before smiling, _'You always know how to make me feel better Tou-san'_ he replied happily.

Kyuubi sent his tenant a warm feeling, a type of internal hug, **"What kind of father would I be if I couldn't help my son? Now pay attention, I think your team is about to be called,"**

Smiling, Naruto listened intently as Iruka called out the next team, "Team 7 will consist of Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto tensed at that, secretly hoping he'd get someone other than the Uchiha.

"Sasuke Uchiha,"

'_Well so much for that'_ Nartuto grumbled, his mood souring at the news.

"Sakura Haruno,"

Sakura gave a cheer at that, _'Yes! Sasuke-kun is mine!'_ her inner persona also voiced her approval **"Cha! Suck on that, Ino-pig!"**

"And finally Doku Tsuuro, your team's sensei will be Kakashi Hatake," Iruka had barely finished when Sakura voiced her shock at that.

"WHAT?!" she screeched, "B-But Iruka-sensei, I thought teams only had three members each!" she protested. _'There's no way I'm going to be on the same team with that pervert!'_

Doku frowned slightly as he heard his female teammate's thinly veiled dislike of his presence on her team. _'Not like I asked to be on the team with her'_ he thought _'though I can't say I'm completely unhappy'_ he thought, glancing at Sakura's figure out of the corner of his eye.

Naruto was happy that he'd have at least one friend on his team.

As for the Uchiha… Well, he didn't like his team. _'The fan-girl, the deadlast, and the fox boy, great'_ Sasuke mentally seethed. He was NOT pleased with his team.

"And finally Yoku Tsuuro," Iruka started, putting his clipboard down to give Yoku a serious look, "You'll be apprenticed under Yugao Uzuki,"

At this information, everyone reacted in a very shocked manner.

The population of fan-girls, Ino and Sakura included, were dumbstruck.

Hinata had put a hand to her mouth in surprise, her eyes wide and staring at the boy.

Naruto and Doku just stared at their brother, a mixture of pride and surprise on their face.

Shikamaru had taken his head off the table and looked at Yoku with a curious expression while his large friend had stopped his snacking midbite.

Kiba was just staring at Yoku with his mouth agape.

Even Shino raised his eyebrows in surprise!

And as for Sasuke you might ask? Well, while his face was completely neutral, his eyes betrayed the emotions boiling underneath the calm façade. Anger, envy and surprise all roiled within the Uchiha's onyx colored eyes.

As for Yoku himself, while he was shocked, he was not pleased. _'Why apprentice me?'_ he wondered. His grades may be the some of best, but they were nothing to warrant an apprenticeship. _'Could it be that- No, there is no chance they could have known'_ he denied, keeping his face as blank as he could, _'I made sure that no one could have known'_ he assured himself.

Iruka smiled, "Your sensei will be here to pick you up after lunch, I suggest you all use this time to get to know your new teammates," with a final wave, the chuunin disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"W-Well I guess I'd better get to know my new teammates," Hinata said, disappointment tingeing her voice.

Naruto put a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave her a warm smile, "Don't worry about it Hinata-chan, we'll still see each other right?"

The girl smiled at him and nodded, his grin widening Naruto gave her a brief hug and said, "Then don't worry about it! I'll see ya later ok?"

"Ok," she responded, a blush on her cheeks. Standing, Hinata walked over to her new teammates and left to have lunch with them.

Doku tried to do the same, "So, Sakura-chan, since we're teammates and all how about-"

The pinkette slammed a fist into his skull, sending the Tsuuro straight into the ground, "Like hell!" she shouted, she then spun around and asked the Uchiha, her eyes closed and hands clasped in what she hoped was an irresistibly cute pose, "So Sasuke-kun, since we're on the same team, how about we have lunch together?"

Getting no response, she opened her eyes to see that the black haired boy was nowhere to be found, "Ah! Where'd he go?! Sasuke-kun!" she called, dashing out of the room in search of her infatuation.

"Well, I can already tell our team is going to be the best of friends," Naruto stated as he leaped down on top of the desk, "I think you're really making progress with Haruno, Doku," Naruto stated cheerily as he grinned down at Doku's prone form.

Doku merely snorted and pulled himself from the ground, "Shut up you damn fox," he grumbled, "Least my girl is on my team," he stated smugly.

"Doku, Haruno-san has made it expressly clear that she has no desire to be associated with you in a romantic fashion, so saying she is 'your girl' is a pathetic fabrication," Yoku spoke up.

Doku stared at his brother then looked at Naruto. Naruto grinned, "He's saying you're living in a lie," he clarified.

Doku snorted before giving his brother a confident grin, "It's not a lie, but a true fact of the future!" he claimed. Then he frowned at his brother, "And how the hell did you get an apprenticeship? And who is this 'Yugao' person?"

"That's what I'd like to know," came a voice from the front door. Surprised, the trio looked over to see Sasuke Uchiha leaning against the doorframe.

"Oi, why do you care if Yoku is apprenticed or not?" Doku challenged. The Uchiha merely ignored him as he made his way over to Yoku. Feeling someone's eyes on him, Sasuke glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Nruto's cerulean eyes glaring at him.

"Hm," he grunted, dismissing the Uzumaki, "So how did you get an apprenticeship Tsuuro?" Sasuke asked coolly.

Yoku sighed as he locked eyes with his fellow genin, "I honestly do not know Uchiha-san," he answered, "But I can guarantee you that it is not a pleasant surprise," at this, Yoku conveyed his displeasure to the Uchiha through eye-contact, "Believe me when I say I do not want, nor do I welcome this apprenticeship,"

Sasuke raised a brow at that. While he was satisfied with the answer and believed Yoku, it only served to fan the flames of his curiosity. _'Why would someone detest an apprenticeship?'_ he wondered. Nodding, Sasuke began to walk out of the room, thinking as he went _'I'll find out Yoku Tsuuro, just you wait'_

Stopping, Sasuke stared in surprise at the figure that was blocking his way. Glancing back, Sasuke made sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

They weren't.

'_How the hell did he move that fast?'_ Sasuke wondered as he glared back at Naruto, "What is it?" he demanded.

Naruto's eyes narrowed, "I was going to invite you to eat with us, but I can already guess the answer," sighing the blond just grinned at Sasuke, "Even if you have a stick up your ass, I'll still be there to help you out,"

Sasuke stared at the blond with an unreadable expression for a a time, then left the room, not responding to Naruto or even acknowledging his statement.

Doku growled as he watched him leave, "Bastard, can't believe he's on our team," he grumbled.

Naruto simply frowned and went back to sit with the Tsuuro brothers, "I don't like him either Doku, but he's our teammate now, we'll have to work with him whether we like it or not," after saying that, Naruto immediately put on a grin and dispelled the somber air that had settled over them, "Besides! This is our chance to finally beat that stuck up punk!"

Doku grinned at that, "Hell yeah! We'll show Uchiha that we're not to be looked down on!"

Yoku smiled at the two, "Well I'm happy to see that Uchiha-san hasn't dampened your spirits any,"

"Of course not!" Naruto exclaimed, "But you have to wonder about that kid…" he mused.

Doku frowned, "Whatcha mean?"

"Well," Naruto started off slowly, "I mean, he's rookie of the year, the village loves him and let's not forget the fan-girls, but he's just so… distant… you know?"

Yoku frowned at that, "It isn't like Uchiha-san has no reason to be the way he is, his entire clan was murdered by his own sibling,"

Doku crossed his arms and scowled, "Well, yeah, but that's still no excuse for being a prick,"

Yoku turned to his brother, "Doku can you imagine what kind of trauma he must have endured? Put yourself in the same situation he was in. Your entire clan, the family you knew and loved, all slaughtered by your elder brother, whom you looked up to for years,"

"It's not like I'm saying he doesn't have the right, but he's letting this thing rule his entire life," Doku responded.

Naruto looked at Doku with a puzzled expression while Yoku seemed to scowl in disappointment at his brother, "I don't think I understand what you're trying to get at Doku," Naruto stated, "What do you mean by the event ruling his entire life?"

Doku frowned as he scratched his head in thought, "Well… I'm not really sure how to put it," humming in thought, Doku sighed and stated, "Look, I think what I'm trying to say is that he can't let this one tragedy, no matter how bad it was, control his entire life, you know?"

Naruto hummed in thought at the surprisingly insightful words Doku had spoken while Yoku merely frowned as he digested the advice. Uncomfortable with the silence, Doku decided to break it, "So! What about you Yoku? What do you think of this apprenticeship thing?"

Yoku sighed. That was one topic he did not want to talk about, "Honestly, I wish they had not given it to me," he stated, deciding he would be honest with his brothers.

"Eh? How come?" Doku asked. He couldn't imagine anyone being unhappy with an apprenticeship! Well, unless their master was a total loser, but Yoku hadn't even met this 'Yuugao' person.

Yoku shrugged, "For one, I won't have any teammates, which means I'll be less likely to get any high ranking missions. Second, I do not see how I'm qualified to be apprenticed under anyone, while my grades may have been high and my accuracy unparalleled, I do not have amazing chakra control or impressive physical abilities," he explained, "I just find this entire thing suspicious and flawed," Yoku finally stated.

Doku seemed to accept that, but Naruto was skeptical. _'He's hiding something'_ he thought.

"**Indeed, but the question is what and for what reason?"** Kyuubi agreed.

Shrugging it off Naruto decided that the discussion had lasted long enough, "Alright! Enough talking and more eating! C'mon, lunch is almost over!" he exclaimed, leaping from his perch and dashing out the door.

"Oi! Wait up you knucklehead!" Doku exclaimed, chasing after his friend.

Yoku merely smiled as he followed them. His thoughts could wait, now, it was time to fill an empty stomach.

**Outside the academy**

Sakura sighed as she sat alone on a bench in the Academy grounds. She had lost Sasuke and was now lamenting over her unrequited love, "Oh, Sasukue-kun, why won't you look at me?" she wondered, "It's probably because of my stupid forehead," she muttered, trying to scowl at her forehead. For a moment, the girl drifted off into a fantasy where Sasuke was leaning against a tree and declaring his love for her and her forehead. She sighed as it ended, "Like that'll ever happen," she grumbled.

"Oi, Sakura,"

Surprised, Sakura looked up and blushed profusely when she spotted Sasuke Uchiha, leaning against a tree and staring at her, just like in her fantasy. Her breath hitched when he began walking towards her, but unlike in her fantasy, he remained silent as he approached her, his onyx eyes never once leaving her jade ones.

When he had stopped in front of her, Sakura finally snapped out of her trance and stammered out a greeting to the last Uchiha, "H-Hey! Sasuke-kun!"

"Hn," Sasuke greeted back, a simple nod and a grunt all she received. Sitting down next to her, he rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward, hands clasped in front of him and a look of concentration on his face.

Sakura stared at her infatuation, heart beating at a frantic pace as her mind desperately tried to process what was happening. _'Sasuke-kun is sitting next to me!'_ she squealed in her mind, _'what does he want? What should I say? Is this his way of saying he's interested in me? Should I try and grab his hand? Is he going to kiss me-' _

"Oi, Sakura, you there?" Sasuke called, a frown on his face as he watched Sakura jump in surprise.

"O-OH! Um, S-Sorry Sasuke-kun, I was, um, distracted," Sakura stated with a blush as she focused on him, "What was it again

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the fan-girl Sasuke stated, "I asked for your opinion,"

Sakura blinked, "My opinion on what?"

"Uzumaki and the Tsuuros," Sasuke stated flatly.

Sakura blinked in confusion at that. _'Our teammates? Why is he curious about them?'_ she wondered, "As a whole or individually?" Sakura asked. She might as well be specific.

"Both," Sasuke answered, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Well…" Sakura began, gather her thoughts, "As a whole… I guess they're ok," she started, "Well, Yoku is at least, he's a pretty smart guy and I don't think I've ever seen someone so skilled with projectiles before, but he's always so… reclusive you know? I mean, he's nice and all but I get this feeling that he's always hiding something," Sakura said.

Sasuke nodded at that. He would agree to that; there was more to Yoku than skill and a polite attitude.

"As for Naruto and Doku," here Sakura just waved her hand in a dismissive gesture, "Those two are just morons begging for attention, they have no manners and I can't decide which is worse!" Sakura declared. She paused then said, "Actually, I can decide which is worse, and that's that pervert Doku!"

Sasuke raised a brow at that. He didn't realize she had such disdain for their new teammates.

Sakura kept talking, "I mean it's sad really! Doku works his body into the ground just so people will think he's so big and strong and the guy is at the hot springs every other day peeping on the women there! How creepy is that?" she huffed, "Naruto isn't much better, always pulling pranks on people and acting so weird, I mean, it's like he's not even a person, you know? I mean, have you seen the way he zones out in class and runs around like some kind of animal? It's like he thinks he's a fox or something! I don't know what a girl like Hinata sees in that guy. He's a complete moron in class and is always joking around, like nothing is serious to him," she stated, "But I guess that's what happens when you don't have any parents," she finished.

Sasuke's body tensed at that last sentence. In a very calm and measured voice Sasuke asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Sakura, oblivious to the sudden tension and Sasuke's forced tone, answered, "I mean those three have no parents and have no idea on how to act properly. If I did even half the things they did, my parents would kill me!" she declared, turning to Sasuke with a smile, "Those guys are just looking for attention, and it's just really annoying and pathetic,"

Sasuke stood abruptly, his back to the Haruno girl, "So you're saying that because they don't have parents they're pathetic?" he asked.

Startled, Sakura answered, "Well yeah, I mean, you don't act like they do, but that's because you had parents,"

Let it be known that Sasuke has incredible self-control, for the only sign of his immense fury towards the pinkette was a sudden clenching of his left hand.

"You know nothing," Sasuke stated flatly, "You have no idea what it's like,"

"Huh? Sasuke-kun, what do you-" Sakura started.

"You have no idea what it's like to be alone," he cut her off, head turned to reveal a piercing black eye. Sakura was taken aback by the look of utter loathing in Sasuke's gaze, and was even more shocked at how it was trained on her.

"You… You've always had your parents, always had someone to look after you," Sasuke started, he didn't want to talk to this girl anymore, didn't want anything to do with her, "You don't know what it's like," he stated, "You know what Sakura? You're the pathetic one here,"

Sakura took a step back, as if that statement

had physicly struck her. Her green eyes stared at Sasuke in astonishment; surprised and hurt he would say that about her, "B-But Sasuke-k-" she stammered.

"You're annoying," Sasuke cut her off. With his piece said, the Uchiha left, leaving behind a shell shocked Sakura.

_What the… What just happened?'_ Sakura wondered.

"**Baka! You are so stupid!"** Sakura's inner raged, **"Sasuke-kun is an orphan too!"**

Sakura felt like hitting herself. How could she have forgotten? To berate Naruto and the twins for their lack of parentage… She might as well have been spitting on the graves of Sasuke's parents!

Feeling truly low, Sakura tried to picture what her life would be like if she didn't have her parents. What she saw, was a very lonely life, one that would make her desperate for just a shred of recognition from the world. _'Is that how they feel?'_ she wondered to herself. To experience that every day…

'_I really messed up'_ Sakura lamented.

**A/N: And that's where I'm stopping for now. I figure 8,000+ words is enough for this chapter. Anyway, be sure to leave me a review and check out my other stuff. **

**That being said, please stop bugging me about Laughter of the Broken. The only reason that thing is left on there is so I have a reminder and so that other authors might be able to create something from it.**

**Ja ne.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A Warrior, An archer and a Fox: Rewritten**

"Regular speech"

'_Regular thought'_

"**Demon/ Summons/ Inner Speaking"**

'_**Demon/Summons thinking'**_

**A/N: Nothing much to say right now, so let's just get right to the story!**

**I own nothing except my own original ideas**

"As far as first impressions go… I gotta say, I don't like you guys," Kakashi stated.

The newly formed Team 7 were seated upon the steps of the roof and were currently glaring at their new sensei, who was casually leaning against the railing.

"You don't exactly make a good first impression either," Doku snapped, "What kind of sensei shows up two hours late to pick up his team?" demanded the teen.

Kakshi shrugged, "The kind that had to help a little old lady with her groceries," he replied.

"**Oh god that excuse was so lame I think I just died a little,"** Kyuubi moaned. Naruto merely nodded in agreement. Their new teacher was proving to be… less than satisfactory.

"Asshole," Doku muttered, "Even Yoku's sensei was here before this guy!"

"Maa, relax, I'm here now aren't I?" Kakashi replied, giving his team an eye smile.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. Though he didn't show it, Sasuke was deeply annoyed with Kakashi, and even Sakura, who was depressed from earlier, was pissed off at her new sensei.

"Now then, how about we introduce ourselves, hm? Kakashi asked, clapping his hands, "So who wants to go first?"

The newly assembled Team 7 just stared at Kakashi. They glanced at each other before Sakura spoke, "How exactly do you want us to introduce ourselves? You already know everything about us from our files,"

Kakashi nodded at that. She brought up a fair point, "True enough, files have a lot of information and yet, do they tell us anything at all?" he asked rhetorically , "I want you guys to tell me about yourselves, your likes, dislikes, dreams, hobbies, stuff like that,"

The teenagers stared at him. Sakura spoke up again, "How about you go first sensei," she suggested. _'Maybe now we can get some information on this guy'_ she thought.

"All right then," Kakashi leaned forward a bit, "My name is Kakashi Hatake, I like a lot of things and there are things I dislike. As for hobbies… I have dreams for the future," he finished with an eye smile.

The team just stared at him, all thinking the same thing _'All he gave us was his name' _they thought collectively. "Now how about you go first pinky," Kakashi suggested, pointing at Sakura.

Sakura scowled at her sensei, disliking the nickname, "Well my name is Sakura Haruno, one of the top kunoichi in our class, "she started "I like…" she glanced at Sasuke and blushed, "I don't exactly have hobbies," she glanced back at the Uchiha, "as for dreams for the future…" she once again looked at Sasuke, but this time she squealed.

The males around her sweatdropped. Sasuke resisted the urge to scoot away from her while Kakashi asked, "And dislikes?

"Doku and Ino!" Sakura declared.

"Aw come on! I'm not that bad," Doku whined, "Come on Sakura, if you'd just give me a cha-" he was stopped by the girl's fist in his face.

"NOT ON YOUR LIFE, PERVERT!" she screamed.

Naruto palmed his face, embarrassed by his teammates. "How about you go next whisker boy," Kakashi stated, pointing at Naruto.

'_Oh joy'_ thought the Uzumaki.

"**Relax boy, you'll need to learn to trust these people, so open up a little,"** Kyuubi told his vessel.

'_Fine'_ Naruto answered "My name is Naruto Uzumaki! Dead last of the academy and soon to be the next Hokage," he declared, "I like pranks, forests, foxes, ramen, my friends and Hinata-chan!" he froze for a moment, giant grin plastered on his face, _'Did I just say I like Hinata-chan out loud?'_ he shrugged, "I dislike the time it takes to cook ramen and shoes," he declared, stamping his bare feet on the ground.

'_Ok, proving to be a very interesting character'_ Kakashi thought, _'Though I question his sanity'_ he remarked, taking note of his obsession for ramen and the lack of shoes.

"My dreams for the future are to be hokage and gain the respect and acknowledgment of everyone!" he declared loudly, "As for hobbies… I'd say pranking but Hinata said I had to give that up so… running through the forest and village I guess,"

Kakashi blinked at that, _'Not even a full fledged shinobi and he's already whipped by the girl he likes'_ thought the masked jounin, _'Just like his father'_ he thought with a smile. "Alright, now how about you, unless you'd rather get beaten some more," Kakashi asked Doku.

Doku snorted, "I'm Doku Tsuuro, and I like…" he paused, thinking about his likes before a smile came to his face, "I like fights, both watching them and being in them," he grinned, "I also like women," Sakura growled at him, but he ignored it, "and I love onigiri!" he thought for a second before frowning, "As for dislikes… I hate cowards and traitors… and cats,"

'_Cats?'_ everyone but Naruto thought.

"As for my dreams for the future… To beat Tsunade Senju in a fist fight!" he declared.

Everyone, again except for Naruto, just stared at him. "Uh… Why?" Kakashi asked. Of all the dreams he'd heard, this one was the most absurd.

"She's the toughest shinobi in the world, least that's what everyone says," Doku stated, "Able to crush mountains with a single punch, least, that's what I heard,"

Kakashi nodded, "Alright then, and now, for you," the jounin said, pointing at Sasuke, "Tell us about yourself," he ordered with an eye smile.

Sasuke stared at his sensei. "Hn," he grunted, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha and there are some things I like and a lot of things I dislike, and I don't have a dream for the future, but an ambition,"

The people gathered stared at him, hanging on his words as he continued speaking, "I will restore my clan and kill a certain man," he finished.

Doku and Naruto shared a glance. They knew who he was talking about. Sakura just stared at him in awe, thinking how cool he was. Kakashi… Kakashi just kept his face blank. The jounin knew whom he was talking about, but it was not his place to speak against the young man's ambitions, not yet.

"Well, you are certainly proving to be an interesting group, but I wonder if you'll be up to your first mission tomorrow morning," Kakashi mused.

The genin looked up in surprise, "Mission? We're getting one right off the bat?" Doku asked.

"Indeed, it's survival training!" Kakashi declared.

The genin frowned, "That's not a mission! That's training," Naruto pointed out in annoyance.

"Ah, but I'll be your opponent this time," Kakashi stated, " and this mission will determine if you become genin or not,"

This caught the team's attention, "What? B-But we already passed the genin exams!" Sakura all but shouted.

"Correction, you passed an exam that determined if you had the _potential_ to be genin," Kakashi stated, chuckling lightly to himself, "This next test will determine if you stay genin or get sent back to the academy," he laughed.

"Oi, what's so damn funny about that?" Doku demanded.

"Oh, I'm just imagining the looks on your face when I tell you the failure rate of this test," he laughed.

"The failure rate?" Sasuke questioned.

Kakashi stopped laughing and looked at his students with a serious stare. Slowly, he spoke loudly and clearly, "Only one third of your class is going to pass this test," he stated, his voice chilling and heavy.

Needless to say, the young shinobi were stunned. Was it true? Was it true that despite all they had done, they were more than likely going to fail and be sent back? No, there was no way that could be true, none of the genin refused to believe that they would fail. Their determination shone in their eyes, some more brightly than others.

"Ain't now way I'm failing this test!" Doku shouted as he stood up, pounding his fist into his open palm, "Bring it one One-Eye! Doku Tsuuro doesn't back down from any challenge or fight!"

"Yeah! No way you can scare us that easily, dattebayo!" Naruto shouted in agreement.

Sakura and Sasuke glared at their sensei, both as determined as their teammates, though they were far less vocal.

"Suit yourself, " Kakashi replied with an uncaring shurg, "Meet me at training ground 14 at six in the morning,"

Doku gawked at his sensei along with the rest of his teammates, "Six in the morning? Why the hell are we getting up that early?" he demanded.

Kakashi ignored him as he continued to speak, "Also, I don't think you should eat breakfast in the morning,"

"What? Why?" Doku demanded again.

"Because you'll probably just puke it right back up," Kakashi answered.

The team paled at that, all dreading the test to come.

'_What kind of test is this?'_ Sakura wondered fearfully.

Sasuke's scowl seemed to grow and the boy himself merely accepted the test to come as another obstacle in his quest for vengeance.

Naruto stared at Kakashi with a strange look on his face. _'There's something off about all this'_ Naruto thought suspiciously. Some natural born instinct- or perhaps it was his tenant sending an unspoken message- was telling the boy that Kakashi was hiding more than just his face.

As for Doku… The poor fool was devastated.

His jaw hung open in disbelief, his face pale with fear and his eyes wide in shock. The boy simply could not comprehend the words spoken to him by his new sensei. How was he, Doku Tsuuro, the boy with an Akimichi appetite and a Nara's love for sleep, supposed to pass this test? _'There's…. I can't…'_ he thought hopelessly, thinking there was no way he could possibly pass this test.

"Ja ne, see you all tomorrow," Kakashi chirped cheerfully before vanishing in a poof of smoke.

Almost immediately, Sasuke stood and walked away, completely ignoring his fellow teammates as he went. Noticing his departure, Sakura attempted to call out to him in an attempt to ask for a date, but their conversation from earlier, or rather, the way she had been chewed out by him, stopped her from asking. With a sad sigh, the young Haruno girl followed after him, intent on going home and preparing for tomorrow; though she would do it halfheartedly.

Thus, Naruto was left with a stupefied Doku and a gnawing suspicion in his guts.

'_Something's not right here… it seemed like he was… not exactly lying, but…'_

"**He's hiding something my boy, try to look underneath the surface of things,"** Kyuubi spoke. The great fox had seen and heard everything, and he knew a trickster when he saw one. As the saying goes, it takes one to know one, and Kyuubi was a Kitsune, a species bred for such things.

'_Underneath the surface'_ Naruto wondered, a puzzled look coming to his face as he tried to contemplate just what it could be his sensei was trying to hide from him. _'I think… I'm not sure what he's doing but I do know that I plan on eating breakfast, and a large dinner just in case'_ Naruto finally decided. Turning, he looked to see that Doku was still petrified from the words of their sensei.

Sighing, Naruto knocked on Doku's head several times, a dull thunking sound echoing through the large teen's skull. "Oi! Earth to numbskull, are you there numbskull? Numbskull respond!" Naruto called, his fist still constantly rapping against Doku's skull.

Alas, poor Doku was still trapped within the confines of his mind, despair all that he could see, the very foundations of all that he knew were crumbling and he could do nothing to stop it. Soon, if nothing were done to pull the Tsuuro from his spiral, Doku would be lost to all.

It's a good thing Naruto knew how to get Doku out of his self-induced trance. Making a single handsign, Naruto was engulfed in an explosion of white smoke.

Due to his state, Doku never noticed the red boxing glove come rocketing out of the smoke and did not register its existence until it impacted with his face. With a yowl of pain, he reeled back, his hands coming to cover his abused face, "Ow! What the hell was that fo-whoa-whoa-whoa-WHOA!" Doku trailed off as he beheld the figure in front of him.

She was a tall and trim figure, maybe half a head shorter than the boy that was staring at her. Her skin was tanned to the point of perfection and muscles tensed and flexed beneath the surface, much like a panther's as it stalks its prey. Her hair was cut in a ragged bob and was the color of pure silver. Her face was perfection, a daring smirk on her face and a playful spark in her teal eyes. She was clothed in a tight black tank top that showed off her midsection and the entirety of her toned and tanned arms. Both her hands were stuffed inside red boxing gloves while she wore a pair of loose black shorts that stopped midway at her thighs with a pair of shin high black boxing boots with white laces finishing off her ensemble.

All in all, if you'll pardon the pun, this chick was a total knockout.

Doku stared at her, completely dumbfounded by what he saw. In front of him stood what he could only call the perfect woman, and he dared not blink lest she vanish on the spot.

"Well? You gonna stand there and drool, or would you rather chance a round with me?" asked the girl.

That sentence was what jumpstarted Doku's systems. Steam exploded from his nostrils as a large grin formed over his face, "Oh yeah! Come on dream chick, time for a little close quarters combat!" Doku howled with approval already hopping on the balls of his feet in anticipation.

"Hmm…" hummed the girl, "On second thought, no thanks,"

Doku fell flat on his face at her words, "Wh-Wait, why?!" he demanded.

"From what I saw, you're scared of this test from your teacher," the girl replied, "I can't fight someone who's afraid of a challenge, it's just too… pathetic," she declared.

"Pathetic?! Doku Tsuuro isn't pathetic!" Doku shouted, thumping his chest with his fist, "I never back down!"

The girl shrugged, "I dunno… You seemed awfully terrified by this test. Especially about the part about not getting to eat," she drifted off.

Doku growled at that. Doku Tsuuro was afraid of nothing! How dare this girl, despite how perfect he thought she was, say otherwise, "I'm not afraid!" he declared.

"Well care to make a bet then?" asked the girl, a mischievous smirk on her face.

"Bet? What kind of bet?" Doku asked.

"If you beat this test of your sensei's, I'll fight you," stated the girl. Doku grinned at that and was about to accept when she spoke again, "And as an added bonus, for every hit you land on your sensei, I'll remove one piece of clothing," she declared with a wink.

"**That ought to entice the perverted ape,"** Kyuubi spoke to his vessel, fully approving of what his adopted son was doing.

Kyuubi was right. While the initial bet was enough to get Doku excited, this sent him over the edge. The teen's eyes ignited with a passionate flame as he roared his acceptance to the heavens, "YOU'RE ON!" Doku shouted, a grin on his face and determination coursing through his veins.

"Then you better get moving big boy," the girl stated. With another roar of challenge, Doku raced off to prepare for tomorrow's test, not once looking back at his visage of beauty.

Once it was certain that Doku had left, the boxing girl was engulfed in a cloud of smoke that soon vanished to reveal a happily grinning Naruto, "That was too damn easy!" laughed the blond as he raced after his roommate.

"**You think he'll remember this?"** Kyuubi asked in amusement.

"He didn't remember the last five times we've used it," Naruto responded with laughter.

Tomorrow promised to be quite an interesting day.

**Meanwhile in a local tea house**

"So, Yoku Tsuuro…"

Yoku paused, teacup barely centimeters from his lips, "Yes, Uzuki-sensei?" he replied politely, taking his cup away from his mouth.

Upon meeting his new sensei, the two had immediately left the academy and took a leisurely stroll through Konoha. No words were exchanged as both enjoyed the ambient noise of the village. It had been his sensei that broke the silence, suggesting that they stop for some tea. Thus, that is how we come to find Yoku staring across at his sensei in a private corner of a teahouse, sipping at some surprisingly delicious tea.

"It has occurred to me that we have not properly introduced ourselves to each other," Yuugao spoke.

Yoku stared at his sensei and while his face expressed nothing but passiveness, inside his mind, however, he was trying to break down just who the woman in front of him was and why she had been chosen to tutor him.

For the most part, she was what he expected of a Konoha jounin. Standard uniform and the forehead protector wrapped around her forehead. That being said, though, Yoku knew that this was far from the average kunoichi.

He would not lie; his sensei was beautiful. She had long purple hair that would put silk to shame. She was fit, but it was hard to find a kunoichi that was out of shape. Her chocolate brown eyes were what interested Yoku the most; they were piercing, captivating and deadly. One could get lost in eyes like those and it was those eyes -eyes that seemed to want nothing more than to rip him apart and find every one his secrets- that both scared and excited the young Tsuuro.

"No, we have not been properly introduced, but I believe it would be safe to assume that you already know much about me," Yoku responded.

Yuugao's fingers twitched slightly. _'Does he knew that I've looked over him until his graduation?' _she wondered. "What do you mean?" Yuugao asked calmly.

"You have my file don't you?" asked Yoku, "Forgive me for seeming rude, but I would have expected you to have already read up on me beforehand," he explained.

Yuugao smiled slightly at him, "Of course, but I've come to understand that files can only tell so much," she replied, pausing to sip from her tea, "Take me for example, if you were to read my file you would know my age, my hair color, my rank and what village I'm a part of plus a little information that would explain some of my skills; nothing you wouldn't find in an everyday Bingo Book," Yuugao explained.

"Bingo Book?" Yoku asked, curiosity entering his voice as a spark entered into his eye, hidden deeply within his pupil.

"Mm," Yuugao hummed. Reaching into one of her vest pockets the jounin removed a small black book, "Bingo Books contain information on certain ninja, they're usually composed of various missing ninja or ninja that are considered dangerous," she explained, "It has information on their rank, village and their skill ranging from C to S"

"I see," Yoku hummed. _'Interesting… I wonder if I could get my hands on one? It would prove to be quite useful for future missions' _Yoku thought. "So I would assume that it is rare for a genin to be listed in the Bingo Book?" he asked.

"Of course, unless that genin happened to be… special," Yuugao responded, "But enough of that, I think it would be best if we properly introduced ourselves to each other," clearing her throat, Yuugao put a hand to her chest and smiled at Yoku, "My name is Yuugao Uzuki, jounin of Konoha and soon to married to my fiancé, Hayate Gekko," she began, "I enjoy kenjutsu, reading and spending time with my friends, I dislike loud noises and those who would hurt those close to me or my village and one day, I hope to retire from being a shinobi, have a family and live the rest of my days in peace," she finished her piece and gestured her hand to Yoku.

Humming for a moment in thought, Yoku spoke, "My name is Yoku Tsuuro, and I'm a genin of Konoha," he started, "I too enjoy reading. I also like learning about new things and I enjoy dumplings as well as archery," he paused for a moment, a slight frown making it's way onto his face, "I don't like those that would try to hurt my family," he stated lowly, "I…" he paused, a puzzled look coming to his face, "My dream… I suppose I haven't given much thought to the future," he finally said, "I suppose my dream is to become an adequate shinobi,"

"Hmm," Yuugao hummed. She was not surprised by Yoku's introduction, as she had watched over him for years. Yet she could not help the slight disappointment that stabbed at her heart as she heard his dream for the future. What he had stated was not a dream, but an excuse. _'Such is the price of vengeance'_ Yuugao thought sadly, "Well, it's nice to meet you Yoku," she stated with a smile.

Yoku nodded back at her, "The same to you, Uzuki-sensei," he replied.

"Now, to business," Yuugao began, "Yoku, as you have probably already guessed, you've been singled out from the rest of your class," Yoku nodded. "As for why, it is because you possess skills that exceed that of a regular genin,"

"I fail to see how you arrived at that conclusion," Yoku stated, "I will admit that I have outstanding academic scores and am quite proficient with ranged weaponry, but otherwise I possess no other skills that would qualify me for an apprenticeship,"

"There are very few genin who can break into the hokage's mansion," Yuugao stated calmly as she lifted to sip her tea, watching through half lidded eyes as Yoku's own widened in surprise, "Yes Yoku, we know what really happened that night, and that is why you've been chosen for an apprenticeship," Yuugao explained.

Yoku sat in his seat, frozen, his face unreadable as a thousand thoughts and questions flew through his mind. Scenario after scenario went through his head, but one question kept coming back to him. What would happen now? Yoku had no idea. If they had known about his plot of vengeance long before Mizuki became a traitor- and he made no mistake that they did indeed know- then would he be tried for murder of another shinobi? No, Yoku made sure that Mizuki had incriminated himself sufficiently before moving in for the kill, meaning that he'd get off on a technicality.

"What are you thinking about Yoku?" Yuugao asked, interrupting the young man's thoughts.

Yoku glanced up at his teacher before his eyes focused on the floor in front of him, "I was thinking about what happens now," Yoku answered.

"That depends entirely on you," Yuugao replied. Seeing her student's curious look she decided to explain further, "Yoku, you are a smart boy, you've already figured out or guessed that this apprenticeship is a way for you to be monitored, but the Hokage sees great potential within you and he would like to see it brought out,"

"So you will train me, but test my loyalty and character while doing it?" Yoku asked.

Yuugao nodded, "I would be lying if I said otherwise," she answered.

The two sat in silence for a time. Yoku thinking over his situation while Yuugao watched him with a careful eye. It would be a lie to say that Yoku unnerved her.

No, not unnerved.

Yoku scared her. Not just him though, all three of those boys scared her. Naruto, Yoku and Doku were threats, serious threats to the security of the village. At the moment though, Yoku was the biggest threat to them. He had skills, and he was dangerously clever. Given enough time and some training, he'd be one of the most powerful ninja around, a shinobi on par with Itachi and Orochimaru.

'_With a cleaner record, I hope' _she thought to herself.

"Alright then,"

Yuugao blinked, confused at Yoku's statement. She stared, quizzically analyzing Yoku's calm and collected posture, using all of her ANBU training to try and find some twitch or movement that would give something away. Yet as she looked, she could only see the teenager's calm acceptance. _'This kid has one hell of a poker face'_ she thought wryly, "What do you mean?" she finally asked.

Yoku sipped at his tea, reveling in the flavor before he responded, "I understand that I am on probation, that my actions were debatable," he started, "There are no words I can say that would dispel your doubts nor are there any actions I have committed that would prove I am loyal, so the only course available is to serve dutifully and efficiently while under the watchful eyes of my seniors,"

Yuugao stared at him. She stared at a child- no, not a child, a young man who so easily dismissed the fact that he had done something possibly immoral and was now willingly submitting himself to the fact that he was now under probation. He did this, all of this, without so much as batting an eye.

It disturbed Yuugao.

There were few people who were so nonchalant about killing others, about doing something that was little more than murder. Those kinds of people proved to be ruthless and uncaring. People with Yoku's nonchalance were dangerous to everyone, because there was no scrap of pity or remorse to stay their hands.

As she stared at her apprentice, Yuugao was terrified at how much of the white snake she saw in him…

"So!" Yoku exclaimed, snapping the ANBU woman out of her thoughts, "When do we start?"

Yuugao stared at her student. The coming years promised to be very interesting.

**Early the next morning, **

Sakura sighed as she sat against a tree. The pink haired girl was tired and hungry, but she had followed her sensei's instructions and arrived at training ground 14 at 6:00 A.M, just as she was told. She had seen Sasuke, but the boy made no acknowledgement of her arrival and did not move from his leaning position against the tree.

She didn't know if he was tired or if he was prepared.

She did know, that her two other teammates were nowhere to be found.

"Ugh… where are those two morons?" she muttered to herself. No sooner had the words escaped her mouth then did a curious sound meet her ears. Something big and angry seemed to be crashing through the forest.

Sasuke, also having heard the sound, tensed up and looked for the source. He was surprised when an orange blur come shooting into the clearing. He blinked as he beheld Naruto standing in the clearing, a thermos of some sort in his hand that he was twirling around his palms as if it were a toy..

Sasuke stared at the blond boy before rubbing at his eyes, _'Naruto? But I thought it was a- no! Ridiculous'_ Sasuke thought, looking back at his teammate. Grunting, Sasuke dismissed the thought as nothing more than an image brought upon by fatigue. Besides, there were other things to address.

"Oi, where's the baka?" Sasuke demanded.

Naruto looked over his shoulder at Sasuke and just gave him a knowing grin, "Oh he's coming,'

True to his words, Doku exploded from the underbrush, his eyes blazing with fiery wrath while foam and spittle flew from his angrily gnashing maw, "NARUTOOOOOO!" he roared, "GIVE IT! GIVE ME MY PRECIOUS!"

Naruto's grin seemed to widen. Holding the thermos out, Doku's focus immediately locked onto it, "Do you mean this?" asked the Uzumaki in a teasing voice. In response, Doku leapt at the container, but was halted by Naruto's right foot, keeping him from getting any closer while the hand that held the thermos stretched as far out of Doku's reach as it could. "Ah-ah! Not just yet!"

"GIVE IT!" Doku roared. The Tsuuro tried desperately to reach for the thermos, but Naruto had very surprising leg strength.

**Oh just give him his precious coffee already!" **Kyuubi laughed. The fox had been in a fit of hysterics ever since Naruto had begun his master plan of getting Doku to be on time. The boy had a bad habit of sleeping in on important days.

With a shrug, Naruto tossed the thermos full of coffee away and Doku followed after it like a madman chases a dream.

With a joyous shout, Doku caught his desired object and wasted no time in tearing off the lid and chugging the contents. Sighing in contentment, Doku let loose a massive belch before falling flat on his back.

"Sweet Kami that was awesome," were Doku's final words before he passed out on the spot.

Sakura and Sasuke stared while Naruto fell into a fit of laughter at his surrogate brother's expense. When he had gained control of himself once more, Naruto turned to his friends with a toothy smile, "Morning!" he greeted.

Sasuke merely grunted before turning his attention away from them. He didn't bother trying to convey his ire at their tardiness. They were here before their sensei and that was all that mattered.

Sakura on the other hand, had no such qualms about conveying ire, "Where have you two been?!" Sakura demanded, green eyes flashing angrily, "You're almost an hour late!" she shouted.

Naruto put his hands up in a placating manner, his smile never leaving his face, "Maa, maa, if you're going to be angry at someone, be angry at him," Naruto stated with a jerk of his thumb towards the snoring Doku,, "I was ready to go about an hour ago, but this lump had refused to get out of bed until the coffee buzzer went off,"

Sakura snorted, "You could have tried waking him up before then!" she scolded.

Naruto shrugged, "You say that like I've never tried," he replied, "Once Doku falls asleep, there aren't many ways to wake him up," he grinned, "Though making it so that only one cup of coffee was brewed and then stealing said cup really gets him moving,"

Sakura just stared at the fox boy for a minute before sighing, "Well at least he's dressed," she muttered. Naruto laughed in agreement and soon, Team 7 was calmly waiting for their sensei.

Well Doku was passed out, but that's irrelevant at the moment. The point now is that Team 7 waited.

And waited.

And waited.

…

Doku gave a loud snore and Sakura snapped, "WAKE UP!" she screamed, punt kicking the large Tsuuro across the clearing and face first into a tree. Groaning in pain and confusion, Doku sat up, one hand coming up to rub his face while he blearily looked around the clearing.

"Oh man, that's not how it usually ends," Doku groaned. Blinking he stared at his teammates, "Eh? Whats going on? Did we pass the test?" he asked stupidly.

"Baka! What makes you think we'd let you sleep through something like that?!" Sakura demanded angrily.

Doku just shrugged, "Because I'm cute when I sleep?" he ventured with a quirk of his brows at the enraged female.

Sakura let loose a low growl, but before she could maul her opponent, an explosion of white smoke separated her from her target. Quickly dispersing, the cloud revealed an eye smiling Kakashi, "Yo," he greeted.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura roared angrily.

"Well a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way around," answered the jounin.

"THAT SHOULDN'T TAKE YOU THREE HOURS!" Sakura screamed angrily, her loud voice causing Naruto to clutch his ears in pain.

Kakashi ignored her as he approached a row of three training posts. Reaching into one of his pouches he withdrew an alarm clock-

"**Oh the irony,"** Kyuubi drawled.

-and placed it upon the middle post along with two bento boxes. At the sight of the bento boxes, three stomachs gurgled in pain. While not starving like his friends, Naruto decided to act the part, copying Doku's expression of hunger and want for the bento boxes.

"Right then," Kakashi stated, turning on his heel to face his team, "Your test is this," he began, raising his hand, a pair of bells lightly jingling as he presented them to the genin, "Your goal is to retrieve these bells from me before that timer goes off, if you don't get a bell, then I will tie you to one of those posts and eat my lunch in front of you," he stated happily, "Those who get a bell, get to eat and pass the test," he finished.

The would be genin stared at their sensei, determination in their eyes, but Sakura's soon changed to puzzlement, "But sensei… there's only two bells," she pointed out.

Kakashi nodded, jingling the bells again, "True, which means that at least two of you will go without lunch," he said, getting a warm feeling of satisfaction at Doku's expression of rage, "And it also means that at least two of you will fail and not become genin," he finished.

That statement sent the genin into a somber mood. This test was a serious point in their fledgling careers, if they didn't pass this test, their dreams would fail before they even began.

'_Seems I've got their attention'_ Kakashi thought, pleased with his students' reactions, "Well then, when I say go, come at me with the intent to kill," Kakashi stated nonchalantly.

Sakura frowned in worry at that, "But sensei, wouldn't you be in danger if we-"

"Ma, relax Sakura-chan," Kakashi said dismissively, "I wouldn't be much of a jounin if I couldn't handle some wet behind the ear genin," he chuckled, "Besides, if you don't come at me with everything you'll never get a bell," he said, jingling the bells mockingly.

Quicker than the normal human eye could, Kakashi reached out with his free hand, catching a blur of something. His visible eye widened when he felt the thing he caught try and move out of his grasp to snatch the bells. Thinking quickly, Kakashi snapped the bells to his belt and withdrew a kunai in a single fluid motion while the hand that held the creature quickly slammed it to the ground and forced an appendage behind its back, before putting the weapon to its throat.

All of this happened in a moment, so quick that none of the academy students saw what had happened until they beheld Naruto, pinned under their sensei with a kunai to his throat, grinning like a fox, despite the threat of death.

Kakashi looked down at the pinned genin with a mocking eye smile, "Nice try Naruto, but I didn't say go yet," he teased, but while his outward expression was that of the mocking sensei, his mind was processing what had just happened.

'_How on earth did he move that fast?'_ Kakashi wondered. Initially, Kakashi had assumed the thing coming at him was a projectile, a kunai. That was the only thing he thought could move that fast, in this particular group of course, for he had been trained by the Yondaime Hokage.

That didn't change the fact that no genin should have been able to move that fast. That, and Kakashi could have sworn that when he initially caught Naruto he had felt fur…

"Well you can't blame a guy for trying can you?" Naruto joked. Kakashi chuckled before releasing the blond and tossing him back to his other students.

"Well, how about we stop playing?" Kakashi said whimsically, "Your test begins… now," Kakashi declared.

Immediately, the genin vanished, off to hide in the surrounding foliage._ 'Not bad'_ Kakashi thought. Scanning around with his lone eye, the jounin could pick out just a few of his students, _'Lets see…. There's Sakura, hiding under a bush, not an ideal location for ambush or attack, but good for a genin I suppose'_ he thought, watching the lone female of his team tense up, as if she could feel his eye staring at her.

Kakashi grinned internally at that, _'Now where is…? Ah! There's Sasuke, hiding in a tree. Very good, optimal for ambush and retreat, not to mention a good vantage point' _Kakashi thought approvingly, his gaze flicking to the brooding Uchiha, kneeled on a branch and hidden mostly by leaves.

'_I can't seem to find you though… Naruto'_ Kakashi thought with a frown, _'Did he run away?'_ the jounin shrugged _'I'll find him sooner or later'_

Thus, did Kakashi's thoughts switch to his last and, in his opinion, most thick headed student. There Doku stood, not having moved from his spot since the test began. He had to admit, the boy looked fierce, his large frame and glaring steely red eyes would have intimidated even a veteran chuunin.

Kakashi was a jounin though. One that had seen war at a very young age. "Don't you think you should have hidden?" Kakashi asked his student.

Doku snorted, "Like that would have done anything!" he barked as he took a ready stance, "You're a jounin right? Finding enemy ninja should be second nature to you, and it's like you said, you wouldn't be much of a jounin if you couldn't handle any wet behind the ear genin,"

Kakashi raised a brow at the Tsuuro, "You know you're a little… dumber, than the rest," he stated, causing Doku to growl.

"What was that?" Doku growled, lips curling into a snarl.

Kakashi shrugged, "I said what I said," he replied, "But if you're so desperate to be taken down then so be it," Kakashi stated, reaching into his weapons pouch.

Doku tensed, ready to move if his teacher decided to use shuriken.

However, to his anger and irritation, Kakashi merely pulled out a book. A book Doku recognized.

"What are you doing?" Doku asked, his voice low and bubbling with barely restrained fury.

Kakashi didn't even look up as he replied, "I think it's obvious," he stated, "I'm reading,"

Doku's right eye twitched, his anger beginning to burn through his veins, "I mean, WHY are you reading?" Doku ground out, his eyes burning with rage.

"Because I want to find out what happens next," Kakshi said. Flicking his eye up to look at Doku over the book, Kakashi continued, "Besides, it won't matter if I'm reading or not, the outcome shall remain the same,"

That was the match that ignited the powder keg of Doku's fury. Roaring with fiery rage, the large teen rushed at his teacher, the ground beneath him cracking and shaking. Rearing back a fist, Doku attempted to strike Kakashi in the face.

Kakashi brought his free hand up and attempted to catch Doku's fist, positive that his strength outmatched Doku's.

That assumption nearly cost him his book and a broken nose.

Surprised at the strength of his student, Kakashi was only able to redirect Doku's fist, so that it passed harmlessly over his shoulder, "Lesson one, taijutsu," Kakashi whispered, his eye never leaving his book,

Doku tried to bring his arm back so that his elbow would smash into the backside of his sensei's skull, but Kakashi crouched, letting it pass harmlessly through his spiky hair. While still crouched, Kakashi attempted to knock Doku's legs out from under him, but the Tsuuro hopped back avoiding the attack and putting distance between himself and his opponent.

"The art of close quarter combat, taijutsu, is utilized when engaging an opponent at close range," Kakashi lectured, "There are many techniques and styles of taijutsu, all with advantages and disadvantages,"

"I know what taijutsu is!" Doku barked, charging his sensei once more. Doku lashed out with his fists, attempting to land a hit on his sensei, but to no avail. Kkashi merely weaved in and out of his blows, pushing them aside when they came too close and even bending over backwards to avoid his student's attacks

All while reading his book.

Doku was furious, no not furious. He was furious when Naruto took all of his money to buy ramen. He was furious when he broke his hand training and had been forbidden from training until it healed. He wasn't furious, though, that his sensei was treating all of his attacks like they were nothing, like he was no threat at all.

Doku was beyond furious at this.

"DON'T LOOK DOWN ON ME!" Doku roared, rearing both fists above his head in a double hammer swing. Bringing them down, Kakashi jumped back, dodging the attack, but the shockwave that trembled through the clearing along with the cloud of dust put Kakashi off balance.

'_Now!_' Sasuke shouted in his mind, flinging a handful of shuriken at his sensei and dashing after them. The Uchiha had been watching the fight the entire time from his spot in the tree, waiting for the perfect time to strike. That time had come.

Quickly regaining his balance, Kakashi heard the shuriken coming at him and caught them through their rings on his fingers. He didn't have time to mock Sasuke though, as the Uchiha was upon him like locusts on a field. Delivering a swift series of kicks and punches, Sasuke attacked, but Kakashi blocked and deflected them all.

Going for a high kick, Sasuke aimed for Kakashi's head. The jounin easily caught the offending limb, but he was surprised when Sasuke twisted himself so that he was hanging upside down. With a desperate reach, Sasuke almost got one of the bells, but the jingle warned Kakashi just in time.

Throwing the Uchiha off, Kakashi was ready for another attack, but Sasuke had already vanished. Relaxing slightly, the jounin shook the dust off his book and began reading again,

That's when Doku struck.

With a hellish roar of primal fury, Doku attacked, his eyes glowing red and his arms tripling in size, rippling with muscle and power. Kakashi's eye widened in surprise at the sight; his hesitation giving Doku enough time to reach out and grab at the shinobi, but again, Kakashi evaded, using both hands to push at the groping appendage, he used the arm to vault himself over and away from the empowered genin

Landing in a ready position, Kakashi was surprised to hear Doku laughing triumphantly. What on earth could make him that happy?

It was at this point that Kakashi looked to his hands and noticed a horrifying fact. His precious book was gone!

Where?! Where was his precious book? That was what Kakashi thought, but his answer came to him when he beheld Doku holding it out to him in one gigantic hand, a sinister smile on his face and his eyes glowing with an even more sinister light.

"Heheheheh… You know, I've actually read this book," Doku chuckled evilly. Kakashi only stared at him in shock, trying to fathom just how Doku grabbed his book and what he planned to do with it.

The answer became obvious.

"But who cares," Doku whispered with dark glee. With a sadistic joy, Doku ripped the book apart; his mighty fists demolishing the adult novel without care or remorse.

Kakashi merely watched in muted horror as his most precious book was destroyed. He was stunned, incapable of comprehending what just happened. He could only stare in horror as this hulking, red eyed monstrosity destroyed that which was most precious to him.

Doku laughed at his sensei's expression, relishing in his accomplishment of breaking the impassive mask of his teacher, "Maybe now you'll fight me more seriously!" Doku boasted.

Kakashi narrowed his visible eye, pure hatred radiating from his glare and piercing Doku like irradiated daggers. Making the tiger handsign, Kakashi crouched into a ready position, "Be careful what you wish for," he replied, his voice frighteningly cold and calm.

Doku merely grinned in excitement. This was what he had been waiting for, a fight that would truly test him. He'd show them, all of them! That Doku Tsuuro was strong! That Doku Tsuuro was a force to be reckoned with! That Doku Tsuuro-

"**Sennen Goroshi!"** Kakashi shouted as he appeared behind Doku in a crouched position.

-had been victim to a technique of utter humiliation.

Screaming in surprise at the sudden intrusion to his rear end, Doku flew through the air and crashed headfirst into a tree, hands comically held onto his backside, while his eyes were wide and white with shock.

"That'll teach him," Kakashi huffed, slightly appeased by the humiliation he had exacted upon Doku. Clapping his hands, he let out a happy sigh, "Now, who's next?" he wondered. Without a second thought, Kakashi blurred from existence.

From her hiding place, Sakura had seen the entire thing, and what she saw set her bright young mind into overdrive, especially in regards to Doku.

'_I knew Doku was strong, but it looked like he was stronger than Kakashi!'_ Sakura thought, mulling over the fight between the large Tsuuro and her sensei, _'And Sasuke…'_ she turned red, at the memory of Sasuke's attempt at the bells. "So cool!" she squealed to herself.

"What was so cool?"

Terrified, Sakura whirled around and came face to mask with Kakashi. Her sensei made a single handsign.

Suddenly, leaves whirled around the two in a cyclone, blotting out what little light there already was. Sakura watched the leaves, entranced by their wind blown dance and when the leaves stopped swirling around her and laid once more on the ground, she looked to see that Kakashi had vanished.

Unknown to Sakura though, Kakashi was still sitting in front of her, waiting for a reaction to the genjutsu he had placed her under. He was hoping the girl would break free of it, but when she suddenly slumped face first into the dirt all he could do was sigh.

Pinching his nose in mild irritation, Kakashi murmured to himself, "To think that Doku was the more interesting one," standing, the jounin dusted the dirt from his pants and looked around, "Oh well, two down, two to go," he chirped, "Now, where did Naruto go?"

With that, Kakashi once again blurred away, leaving Sakura to her blissful state of unawareness and something else…

**In another part of the forest**

Kakashi was sitting in a tree, scanning the forest for some sign of his wayward blond fox-faced student. The only signs life he noticed were that of the animals. He saw the various tracks of all manner of mammals, from rabbits to deer. Heck he could even see a young fox, poking about in the bushes, but there wasn't a single sign of Naruto.

"Despite all his clowning around, the kid sure knows how to hide himself," Kakashi mumbled as he watched the fox scamper off. With a sigh, Kakashi stood up, joints popping as he stretched life back into his cramped limbs, "Might as well see if I can find Sasuke then," KAkashi chirped. With that, Kakashi leapt from his perch in search of his next target.

His target had a trap though.

No sooner had Kakashi left his perch then he was forced to the ground to avoid the hail of kunai and shuriken that would have torn him to ribbons. Before Kakashi could retaliate, another barrage of kunai erupted from the foliage, driving Kakashi into a small field.

And right into Sasuke's ninjutsu.

"**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu( Fire release: Fireball jutsu)!"** Sasuke cried before inhaling an incredible amount of air. His chest seemed to swell before he released it, a gigantic fireball bursting from his mouth. Kakashi seemed to be engulfed by the sphere of flame as it exploded on contact.

Dust whirled through the air, blinding the Uchiha, before it finally settled. Sasuke looked around in a panic, for his sensei was nowhere to be seen, "He's going to counterattack, but from where?" Sasuke murmured as he searched, "Left? Right? Above?"

"Below," came the muffled response to Sasuke's question. Two hands suddenly burst from the ground, grabbing onto Sasuke's ankles and dragging him into the earth. Sasuke could do nothing but scream in surprise, his cry cut short when Kakashi finished his technique and appeared in front of him. Sasuke could only glare at his sensei with hatred, because the technique had left him with absolutely no way to fight back,

"You know Sasuke, you really shouldn't get ahead of yourself," Kakashi said, standing in front of his student. Well more above and in front of, due to the fact that the Uchiha was buried up to his neck, "Granted your trap was perfect, but you were too hasty,"

Sasuke growled at that, but he made no argument. He wasn't going to act like a brat and say that his perfect trap should have worked regardless of his timing. To say that would mean he wouldn't have ended up buried up to his neck. So instead he just glared at his sensei, that is, until a creature bolted out of the woods and straight towards them.

Kakashi glanced over and was slightly startled when the creature jumped at him. However, he was a jounin, and easily caught it. He was confused by what he had caught though.

It was a fox, a yellow one with white tipped tale and white tipped ears. It had carmine colored eyes that looked everywhere, darting from Kakashi, to the ground and to the sides. It was trembling with fear and its ears twitched every which way.

'_Poor thing'_ Kakashi thought idly as he continued to examine the fox, _'I wonder what has it so scared though?' _

The answer came in the form of a very angry, very powerful and very terrifying roar.

The sound tore through the air with a viciousness that Kakashi had never heard before. No sooner did the roar taper off then did the ground begin to shake and the sound of falling trees and wrecked foliage follow after, and it grew louder and louder with every passing heartbeat.

It was not long before the creator of the calamity broke through the final piece of foliage and burst into the clearing.

IT was hard to say what surprised Kakashi more. It was either the fact that Doku had just torn through the forest like a (and he looked like one too, due to the rather large upper body and massively muscular arms) rampaging monster, or it was the fact that Doku actually recovered and found him. Either way didn't really matter to Kakashi, because as soon as Doku saw him, he had to resist the primal urge to flee like the fox in his arms had done.

"**YOU!"** Doku roared, a finger pointing at Kakashi. The jounin merely gulped as he dodged to the side, avoid the large boulder that Doku flung at him** "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"** roared the massive teenager as he rushed Kakashi.

Kakashi didn't exactly know why his student was so angry with him for, but he didn't particularly like being attacked while holding a fox. The problem was, Doku was relentless in his assault, making it impossible for Kakashi to get enough time to get rid of the darned animal. To make matters worse, the thing was scrambling all over him, trying to find asylum from the raging Tsuuro.

"Alright tnis is getting ridiculous!" Kakashi finally shouted in frustration. With speed and agility that Doku couldn't follow, Kakashi got under Doku's guard and struck him with a mighty uppercut.

The teen staggered back, disoriented from the blow, giving Kakashi enough time to finally get rid of the fox. Throwing the mammal to the ground, he didn't watch as it scampered off into the woods an instead chose to prepare a powerful jutsu to defeat Doku in his massive form.

Doku gave another roar as he finally regained his balance. With a growl and glare of pure fury, Doku charged forwards while Kakashi prepared to unleash his technique.

Imagine Kakashi's surprise and confusion when the massive teen instead ran past his sensei and in the same direction as the fleeing fox.

"**GET BACK HERE DAMN IT!" **Doku roared as he faded into the foliage once more. Kakashi only stared after, wondering just what the hell had happened, Sighing, the ninja started to walk away, uncaring of the wrecked scenery and shocked Sasuke.

"This team is so very strange," Kakashi mused as he headed back towards the training posts, "The bell is about to ring and I still haven't seen Naruto," Kakashi sighed, "Oh well, least the bells are still safely with me," he chuckled, reaching to retrieve said objects from his belt.

…

Kakashi frowned. He felt around some more, reached into his pockets and even checked his weapons pouch, but the bells were gone!

"Did I drop them while avoiding Doku?" Kakashi thought as he looked around the ground for them, "No I must have-" he paused when he beheld a most interesting sight.

There, on the dirt path, was the fox from before. The thing seemed to have a smug grin on its face, because clamped in its jaws were the bells.

"Well, that explains where those got to," Kakashi muttered, "How about handing those over little fella?" asked the masked ninja with an eye smile.

"Not on your life, sensei!"

Kakashi blinked in surprise as he looked at the now obviously smug fox in front of him. _'Did that fox just-'_

Before he could finish his sentence, the fox was enveloped in a cloud of smoke that disappeared to reveal someone Kakashi had not seen since the test began.

"Looks like I pass twice over!" Naruto laughed as he dangled the bells in front of his teacher.

Kakashi only stared in wonder as in the distance; his alarm went off, signaling the end of the exam.

**At the training posts**

"Ok, I can understand why Doku is tied to the post," Sasuke spoke calmly, ignoring the furious glare he was receiving from the bound Tsuuro, "I can also understand how Sakura managed to fail," he stated, causing Sakura to look at the ground gloomily, "But do you mind explaining to me how he," here Sasuke pointed at the grinning Naruto who was lounging on the grass, his feet propped up on one of the posts, "managed to get not one, but both bells?"

KAkashi merely shrugged at Sasuke's question, uncaring for the envious glare he was receiving from the brooding avenger, "Skill, luck, planning… I don't really know or care to know," answered the sensei.

Naruto laughed at that, "What? Mad that the dead last achieved what the rookie couldn't?" teased the blond. Sasuke looked like he was about ready to murder the blond.

"Naruto stop antagonizing Sasuke," Kakashi stated, "As far as I'm concerned, you've failed just like the others," he claimed, causing Naruto to sit up in confusion. The others also stared at their sensei with puzzlement.

"Wait what?" Sakura said, speaking for her team.

"You've all failed!" Kakashi announced, "You've completely missed the point of this entire exam, and quite frankly, you guys should just give up on being shinobi altogether!"

"Oi! At least give Naruto the benfit of passing!" Doku responded angrily, "He got both of the bells!"

Kakashi shook his head, "It doesn't matter," he declared.

"Why's that?" Naruto demanded, more curious than angry. He thought he'd done exactly what he was supposed, but had he missed something?

"Because none of you got the real point of this test!" Kakashi proclaimed. He then pointed at Doku, "Doku, your very first move was to go in and attack, you made no plans, no preparations, nothing! Just charged in without a second thought about maybe getting help from Sasuke, Sakura, or Naruto," he stated.

Doku growled at that, "I thought I could take them by myself," he huffed.

Kakashi ignored his tied up student and moved his finger to Sakura, "Sakura, you did nothing to help Doku when he was clearly outmatched.. Instead, you hid and waited,"

Sakura merely looked away, to embarassed to make eye contact with her teacher.

"Sasuke, you just flat out decided to go alone," Kakashi began, turning to lecture the Uchiha, "You didn't care at all about what happened to them and instead tried to use Doku as a means to get the bells," he reprimanded, "You decided that they were useless and that you'd do it all alone,"

Sasuke glared at Kakashi. He sad nothing, but it was plain to see that he was not at all happy about being told what he did wrong.

"And Naruto," Kakashi said, pointing to his final student, a visible frown in his visible eye, "rankly Naruto, I'm disappointed in you the most," started the jonin, "You left your teammates behind and simply waited until everyone else had fallen until you decided to strike. Then, you used Doku without his knowledge and stole the bells," Kakashi exclaimed, "You used your teammate, willingly and knowingly used him! At least Sasuke waited for a chance instead of using him as part of his trap,"

Naruto looked down at the ground, ashamed to make eye contact with his teacher, "Would it make any difference if I said I'd have given Doku one anyway?" he asked, looking up from under his bangs with a hopeful expression.

Kakashi shook his head, "No Naruto, what you did was low, but you were the only one who actually came closest to what this test was really about,"

The genin all looked up in surprise at that, "Wait, seriously?" Sasuke asked, "This dobe actually figured out the test?"

"Not exatly," Kakashi answered, "But he did look underneath what was presented," Kakashi clarified, "You see, I told you all to come at me with the intent to kill, but even if you did, none of you would have been able to get a bell, not on your own," Kakashi walked a ways from the group, approaching a stone that had gone unnoticed by the newly graduated shinobi, "Naruto figured that part out and used Doku to help him get the bells, but ultimately he missed the point of the mission," Kakashi paused in front of the stone.

"Do any of you know what this stone is?" he suddenly asked, catching his students off guard. It was a strange stone, made of black granite and formed in an odd polygonal shape. It was covered in markings, names it seemed. The team was stumped, except for the bright young Sakura.

"It's a memorial stone," she answered.

"Indeed, one dedicated to fallen shinobi," Kakashi confirmed, his hand brushing across the stone's surface slowly, "The thing they have in common is that they were all KIA," he answered solemnly.

"KIA?" Doku asked stupidly, "What is that? Some kind of title for being badass or something?"

"It means Killed in Action," Sakura answered sadly, "Everyone whose name is on that stone was killed in the line of durty,"

"Yes," Kakashi whispered, "I have a lot of friends on this stone, and they all gave their lives so that their teammates might live, that their village might be safe," he sighed, "Do you get it now? Do you understand the lesson I was triyng to teach?"

The genin were silent, digesting the information and trying to comprehend what Kakashi was telling them. In the end it wasn't Sakura who answered the question.

"Teamwork," Doku said slowly, "You were trying to teach us about teamwork,"

"Exactly," Kakashi said, "The entire point of this mission was for you to work together, even when it seemed like only two of you were going to make it," Kakashi's eye gained a hard look, "As shinobi, you will take missions with a high chance of at least one of you dying, and you cannot be thinking about yourself when you take these missions on," he continued, "You cannot be reckless, stupid and stubborn!"

As Kakashi finished speaking, an enraged Sasuke charged at him. The Uchiha had been getting more and more angry as Kakashi spoke, frustrated and annoyed with his failure. When his sensei had said they were stupid and reckless, Sasuke decided he'd had enough. He'd show his sensei that he wasn't like his teammates. He was an Uchiha.

Sadly, Sasuke was still just a genin, and Kakashi had fought much worse than a pissed off graduate.

Kakashi moved quicker than the eye could follow, tripping Sasuke up and then pinning him to the ground with his weight and one hand. The other grabbed a kunai and held it to the back of Sasuke's head.

"This is exactly your problem!" Kakashi barked, "You rush in, uncaring, alone, and hot headed, you're only lucky that I'm not an enemy!" he declared pushing Sasuke back to his fellows.

There was a tense silence for a bit and then Kakashi sighed, "Ok… I'll give you all one more chance,"

The genin blinked in surprise, but said nothing and merely waited, "Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, you're all allowed to eat, but if any of you tries to feed Doku, I'll fail you all and prevent you from ever becoming shinobi," Kakashi commanded, "Am I clear?"

The genin nodded. Kakashi vanished in response, obviously off to prepare for the ext mission. Meanwhile, the genin grabbed the benoto boxes that had been left behind and slowly began to eat. All except for Sakura, who was feeling far too guilty at her failure to even attempt at eating anything. She instead opted to just stare at her food with a dismal look.

'_I can't believe I was so easily beaten'_ Sakura thought woefully _'I mean, am I really that bad?'_

"**Cha! Buck up! You don't see Doku moping about and he's tied to a post!"** Inner Sakura stated.

Sakura looked up at that, her attention turning to Doku, who, like her inner persona had stated, wasn't moping around. In fact, Doku was struggling against his bonds, cursing at his sensei's artwork. IT seemed like the boy would be able to break out too, if it wasn't for his stomach's constant groaning and growling that made him stop. "Gah! Curse the need for food!" Doku all but shouted.

'_Geez, never thought I'd feel sorry for Doku' _Sakura thought.

"**I never thought Doku was so strong,"** Inner Sakura chimed in, replaying the Tsuuro's fight with Kakshi in her mind's eye **"I mean, sure the guy is ripped but that was just plain awesome!"**

Sakura's cheeks pinkened at the memory. She had been impressed by Doku's determination, but disappointed in his stupidity. When Sasuke had swopped in, she had been excited, thinking that if Doku could put Kakashi on the ropes, then maybe her infatuation would succeed.

She still thought it was cool.

Now though, now that she knew they'd have to work together in order to beat Kakashi and win, she knew they were going to need every bit of Doku's strength if they wanted to win. Strength that, it seemed, was being sapped by Doku's hunger. Sakura knew the answer to fixing that problem, but Kakashi had said…

"**Feh! Forget the Cyclops! We're ninja! Who says we have to play fair?!" **Inner Sakura shouted, pushing her other self to make a decision. With a determined face, Sakura stood up, bento in hand and walked until she was standing in front of Doku.

'_Jeez he's tall' _ was her first thought as she stared up at Doku. The guy was maybe five feet and eight inches tall, while she barely stood at five three. Even tied to a post he was taller than her! She couldn't let that deter her though, she needed to do this!

For Doku's part, the boy was just confused, _Why is she looking at me like that?'_ he wondered. Glancing to NAruto and Sasuke, he knew he wasn't the only on thinking that. Before he could ask though, a bento box had been shoved towards his face.

"Eat," Sakura commanded simply, stretching the food up to him, "You need food,"

Doku blinked at that. Sakura was… offering him food? Willingly? "What?" Doku asked stupidly.

Sakura frowned in annoyance, "Don't be stupid, just take the food!" she stated, "I know for a fact that you'd be able to break those bindings, but you're too weak right now,"

"But Kakashi said-" Doku started.

"And if we're going to beat him we need you're strength!" Sakura exclaimed in annoyance, "You're one of the dumbest people I've ever met, but you've got more strength in your pinky than I do in my whole body! Now shut up and eat!"

Doku was silent then he grinned, "Well when ya put it that way… Itadakimasu!" he cried, lunging for the food.

Only to be stopped by the ropes that tied him to the post.

"Uhm," Doku sweatdropped, "I forgot I'm tied to the post," he confessed sheepishly, causing Naruto to laugh while Sasuke just rolled his eyes, "You think it would be too much trouble if you fed me?" he asked.

Sakura puffed her cheeks in annoyance before sighing, "Alright, but don't get any ideas perv, this is just because I want to graduate," she growled as she started to feed the bound genin.

Naruto grinned as he watched them. He had just been about to feed Doku himself, but then Sakura had moved. _'Well surprise, surprise! The fan-girl does care!'_ he thought.

"**You do know that your sensei isn't gone right?"** Kyuubi spoke, **"In fact, I can smell him coming towards you guys… and he seems pretty pissed,"**

'_Guess we'll just have to stand our ground, neh?'_ Naruto replied as his sensei appeared in a thunderclap of a shushin, the sky seeming to darken at his arrival.

"**Or you could run and live," **Kyuubi responded as lighting cracked through the sky.

"Do you have any idea what you've just done?" Kakashi demanded furiously as he bore down on his students. Sakura was terrified and baked into Doku, the food forgotten at her feet. Sasuke had jumped into a fighing stance while Narto remained seated, eyes closed in that fox style of his and a small smirk on his face.

Doku tried his best to look menacing while being tied up.

"You broke the rules! Do you have anything to say?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah! Bite me, one-eye!" Doku barked, "You want to punish someone? Try me, but I warn you, I'm not going down easy!"

"Baka! It was my fault!" Sakura berated him, "I'm te one who fed him, don't blame the others!"

"Oh stow it both of you," Naruto laughed as he stood up and faced his teacher, "If we're a team, we'll act like one. All for one and one for all, right Sasuke?" he called. The Uchiha only nodded and prepared himself.

Kakashi stared at his students, his wrathful gaze scanning each face while behind him the sky crackled with thunder and lightning, "Then you're all willing to face the consequences?" he asked. His response was only a unified nod, "Then all of you…"

The genin braced themselves.

The wind began to howl.

The heavens roared angrily.

And Kakashi…

"Pass!" he said happily, his visible eye an upside down u. The sky was clear, the birds were singing happily and a playful wind stirred the grass and trees.

The genin were only dumbfounded and Sakura was the only one able to speak out a strangled, "Huh?"

"You pass," Kakashi answered, enjoying how the looks of confusion slowly morphed into joy then back to confused.

"But… how? Why? What about the test?" Sakura asked again.

Kakashi laughed, "The test was to see if all of you could actually come together as a team," he answered, "No one has been able to pass the bell test before, never have and probably never will! I mean, Naruto got a bell, but he wasn't the first and he definitely won't be the last, but that's not the point,"

"Then what was the point?" Sasuke demanded, fed up with the quirkiness of his teacher.

"The point was to see if you could actually be a team, if you could come together and pass or fail as one," Kakashi answered, "Every team I've ever been assigned always failed! They listened to every single rule and order I gave, and they all failed, even after I told them it was about teamwork," he sighed, then he smiled, "but not you four,"

"So… we passed because we broke the rules?" Doku spoke up, still very perplexed.

"No," Kakashi responded with a chuckle, "You passed because you were willing to fight and fail as a team, were willing to sacrifice yourself so that the others might go on," Kakashi grew solemn then, "I was very selfish before and I followed orders to the letter, even when I was part of a team, but a friend of mine said something I'll never forget,"

"What was that?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Those who break the rules are trash," Kakashi said, "But those who abandon their friends, are worse than trash,"

The genin all absorbed this information with varying degrees of appreciation. Sasuke seemed to just hear, but not accept. Sakura and Doku seemed confused, but they looked as if they were going to accept and heed it.

Naruto… He just grinned and nodded in agreement, fully accepting his teacher's words.

"Team 7 is now officially a fully functioning shinobi squad of Konoha," Kakashi declared, "Tomorrow, we take our first mission!"

The genin cheered at this, happy that their careers had well and truly begun. Today marked a milestone in all of their lives, and it was a day none of them would forget.

No matter what.

**A/N: Ok! Slightly cheesy ending, but I like it. Remember to leave a review and hopefully you actually read it. Next chapter, we switch focus to Yoku, and hopefully, we start the Wave Arc!**

**Ah! So excited! Action, betrayal, romance and more! **

**Ja ne!**


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